Bloom Again
by iharalin
Summary: You made a mistake, shishō. If it was Naruto, he might have made peace with it. It's people like me, who keeps wanting more, doesn't know when to make peace, can't make peace. Can't live with being the only one alive. Can't handle being left behind even in death. This is no last stand. This is selfishness. Sakura-centric Time Travel where for once, Team 7 chases Sakura.
1. Prologue - Vestige

Selfishness, Sakura thought, truly knew no bounds.

As a shinobi who swore her life to her village and had killed and bled and lost for it, Sakura was not ignorant to the notion of the greater good. As a medic who often spent hours non-stop healing and still ended with death on her hands, she was also not ignorant to the fragility of a single life, and the incalculable value that it brought with it. But the truth remained that one life meant nothing against the whole - a tragic, utter insignificance when compared to hundreds and thousands of lives.

It was rule many shinobi lived by - their reason for their sacrifices, the refusal to break under torture, the acceptance of missions they themselves knew they would not return from. It was in their loyalty to their village and to their Kage - their lives might not matter but their actions did, and to many ninja, the anything they might accomplish for their village mattered more than their survival. And it was a rule mirrored by the Kages, in the grim distribution of possible deaths handed over the desk in the form of scrolls. They were given with no hesitation, with no appreciation nor guilt, but each carried an implicit trust for the ninja to return, and an unspoken assurance that even if they didn't, the village would be safe.

No shinobi was one. When a shinobi was selfish, he was selfish for the village, selfish _with_ the village – for no shinobi was one, but the village itself. A speck of insignificance that combined with other specks of insignificance and created something significant.

It was a sentiment that had boosted morale during the war, and one Sakura found to be utter bullshit as she looked down at Naruto and Sasuke's bloody faces.

The two laid at her feet, unmoving, unresponsive and in a lake of blood, matted with so much dirt and gore that she thought if she hadn't been looking for the particular blond hair and red Uchiha fan, she might have passed them as simply two other ninja lost in battle. The disbelief had been so potent that she, for a few moments, had almost believed she was under a genjutsu. Then she had noticed the twin, gaping holes in their bodies where their hearts were supposed to be, and reality had slammed into her like a sledgehammer.

She had leaped to their sides, directly into their puddle of blood, grabbing at their limp, lifeless arms and bringing their hands to her face and screaming, sobbing as their blood drenched her pants, the liquid frighteningly warm around her legs as if it was supposed to be comforting, the last embrace of the dead. Even with his heart ripped out, eyes closed and lips quirked Naruto had an oddly satisfied look on his face, and once she wiped the dirt away with trembling fingers, found that Sasuke's expression was similarly calm. Not smiling like Naruto or obviously peaceful, but it had been so long since she had seen him sport even a neutral look, for his face was always contorted in anger or vengeance or the other. It was a look that reminded her of the times Sasuke had stood for Konoha, had stood for Team 7, had stood for her – that she somehow couldn't stop shivering.

Even as tears continued, the cynic in her couldn't help but think the scene morbidly fitting. Sasuke had always been the largest part of, if not, Naruto's heart itself and Sakura had no doubt that it must have been the same for Sasuke even if he refused to acknowledge it. Their deaths had been unfathomable to Sakura because they had been so strong, so steadfast, so blinding like both the sun and the darkness were, and somewhere along her efforts to catch up to them, the chase had begun to feel futile, like chasing the sunrise or the sunset, and trying to stop the day and night from warring. Somewhere along the way, they had become unreachable, unbeatable, and _damn it_ , so glorious - in the back of her mind she had secretly resigned, for she was neither a star nor a force of nature, and wouldn't be able to make a speck of difference even if she had reached the skies. How completely fitting it was, she thought, then that the ones to kill the two heavens of her world would be each other, two of whom she couldn't stop from fighting, two of whom she had almost willingly taken a step back from because she knew she would never be able to understand them like they did one another.

A white-hot emotion raced up her spine and burned her face, and as she looked down at her hands drenched in blood and interlocked with Naruto and Sasuke's, she identified it as shame. Their fingers felt cold against hers, dotted with callouses and rough patches of skin, and she thought, how long has it been since she held their hands like this? She had been incapable, incompetent, ineffective, at least to her team – and as she considered her developments from when she was genin, her achievements as the Godaime's apprentice, her services at the hospital, she thought with no little frustration, what did that matter? What did that matter, whatever she might have done for her village, when she ultimately ended up holding the hands of her teammates' dead bodies, unable to do anything, utterly useless?

Then she remembered Kakashi, and the shame burned twofold. She had left him a way back, chakra exhausted and bleeding dry, and before she left she had put her hands on his bloody chest and desperately pumped green chakra through her hands – _No, Kakashi, you can't go like this, can't leave me like this, the war's practically over_ – and she had pretended she wasn't crying, and he wasn't looking at her all sad, like he had been the one who disappointed her, instead of the other way around, when _she_ had been the one who couldn't _fucking fight_ and needed her teacher to come running to save her and now couldn't even fucking heal him-

 _Sakura_ , he had wheezed, _leave me_. _Don't waste your chakra. Go find Naruto and Sasuke._ And she had protested, shook her head, screamed her refusal, and he had looked with her with eyes full of sadness and guilt and she thought, _why are you looking at me like that? You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't do anything._ And Kakashi had shook his head minutely, and another line of blood made its way down his face, soaking his battered mask, and he slowly wrapped his fingers around hers, pulling it away from his body – _please_ , and he had smiled – his eyes crinkling like they always did when he ruffled her hair and called her his _favourite student_ – and said, _let me at least do this for you._

So she had run, in the direction Naruto had gone to chase Sasuke, and she had passed Lee, crumpled under a tree and missing a leg, then she had passed Kiba and Hinata, he, face down in his own puddle of blood with a row of kunai imbedded neatly into his back, and she, with her hair sheared short to her ears and her arm blown off, but judging by the way the stump faced, she must have been trying to reach out to Kiba-

Then she found Sai's picture book soaked in gore and she felt a part of her world distinctly _tilt_ and-

Yes, the war was won. Madara was dead and Obito was dead and everyone that mattered was dead, and the majority of Leaf's forces had been obliterated and Sai was dead and Sasuke was dead and Naruto was dead but the war was won, and Konoha was still standing. Tsunade was dead and Kakashi was dead and no one of merit to take the title of Hokage was left, but there was enough ninja to eventually rebuild the village and there were the civilians and the genin and maybe, she thought, with enough time, slowly, very slowly – the lands would recover from the war and the villages would aid each other and Konoha would return to normal.

Currently, however, Sakura found that she gave no two shits about Konoha.

For all her loved ones had died, she considered this war not won, but lost. For all her loved ones had left, she considered Konoha not her home, but a graveyard. For her, Konoha had fallen.

Yet that was surely not enough, Sakura thought, that Tsunade would forgive her for what she would do now. _For the final wall_ , Tsunade had said. _When there is no hope and there is no salvation. When we have fallen and future awaits none but death. Our last stand._

 _Why not Naruto?_ She had asked. _He's so much more powerful. He'll connect to Sasuke better than I ever will. And he has that bond with everyone-_ Tsunade had shaken her head. _Too emotional_ , she had said, cutting Sakura off. _I don't deny Naruto's light nor power, but as shinobi, sometimes rationality must take precedence over emotions._ She fixed Sakura with a sharp look. _Are you saying Naruto wouldn't go slaughter Orochimaru, Itachi, or whoever that stood in his way right off the bat to save Sasuke? Do you have any idea what that level of change might amount to?_

Slowly letting go of Naruto and Sasuke's hands, she took out a kunai with one hand while she touched the skin right above her heart with the other, where a black seal thrummed under her jōnin uniform. A seal that had taken Tsunade a pain-staking six months to ink, spanning the entirety of her abdomen, _like a jinchūriki's seal_ , Tsunade had joked. _You're smart, Sakura, you'll be fine_. _And when this activates_ , she tapped Sakura's forehead that was yet unmarked, but soon to be, _you'll have both enough chakra and chakra control for the jutsu to work._ She had grinned. _Let's hope that it won't come to that though, eh?_

Sakura trembled, and her hands sinking into the blood, crawled between Naruto and Sasuke, lowering herself down between them and feeling their blood envelop her body. She should have shivered, been sick at the slick, iron smell of blood that overwhelmed her, been disgusted at the sight of burned and slashed flesh at her sides. But Sakura found that at this moment more than any other, she felt at last together with the two. She loved the them, she really did, loved her team, loved them more than she had ever loved anyone, loved them more than she had ever believed a human could love – in truth, she had made her decision a while before, the moment she heard Tsunade had fallen, when Kakashi had smiled at her, when she had picked up Sai's picture book from the tangle of organs.

With Naruto on her one side and Sasuke on the other, dead and unmoving, there really hadn't ever been any need for contemplation.

 _You made a mistake, shishō. If it was Naruto tasked with this, he might have held himself with responsibility. He might have not thrown all of himself into the battle so recklessly like he did. And if it was he who was alive and I who was dead, he might have made the choice to make peace with it. He would have cried and screamed, but in the end he might have stood up and carried everyone's bodies back home and smiled a tired smile and found peace in the fact that he tried his hardest, and Sasuke had tried his hardest in his own way, and that they had met, fought, and understood each other and if he ended up alive and Sasuke dead, well, then, perhaps it was meant to be. And he would have picked up Konoha by the roots and rebuilt it ground up. He would have become Hokage and led the people, and Konoha would not only recover but prosper, and this war would be but a dark, stained page in Konoha's history, a disastrous, abominable page where thousands died and the great Sannin died and two Hokages died and the last Uchiha died, but a page where still the best of Konoha rose, survived, and saved the village._

 _It's people like me, full of regrets and self-pity who makes the worst decisions, because we can't live with our incompetency, can't live with our failures, can't live with the fact maybe, we could have been better. It's people like me who keeps wanting more, doesn't know when to make peace, can't make peace._

 _Can't deal with being the only one alive because I stayed back. Can't handle being left behind even in death._

 _This is why I'm sacrificing Konoha, and the hundreds of lives of ninja who survived the war and revoking thousands who gave their lives to protect it._

 _This is no last stand._

 _This is selfishness._

Raising her hand high, she drove her kunai into the seal.

* * *

AN: So – yes. A time-travel fic. As expected, this will turn AU some time along the later chapters. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, a prologue, really – and I hope to see you in the next chapter. Please feel free leave your thoughts in the review section below. I've found that it's extremely motivating and enlightening to receive feedback on my works.


	2. Little Seeds I

Kakashi was not happy with his genin team.

Not that he had ever been, really, with all the previous teams he failed, but this one, Kakashi had to say, this one took the cake. He didn't remember ever telling the Sandaime about his inherent passion for teaching, so Kakashi didn't understand why the man kept handing students to him like candies to a child.

 _You will make a good teacher, Kakashi_ , said the Sandaime as he handed him the jinchūriki of the Kyūbi and the last living Uchiha after he had failed his fourth team. _Oh, yes_ , Kakashi thought. _Perfect. Thank you._

He hadn't known what to expect at first, not exactly, but now he had seen enough to know that the jinchūriki was an airhead – a surprisingly disappointing development for his esteemed sensei's son, but Kakashi acknowledged that maybe it was a sort of a blessing with all things considered. Gods forbid he had another dark, brooding tragedy on his hands – he had enough mixed feelings towards the Uchiha. Sasuke's Academy reports had been positively glowing in comparison to Naruto's abysmal grades, with comments hailing the boy as a prodigy among his peers, miles out of their league. Rather on the anti-social side, but truly a student worthy of taking under one's wing. He supposed it wasn't unexpected; the name Uchiha brought with it a certain level of talent.

Yet, the hate he saw in the boy had displeased him. Surely not an unfathomable sentiment considering the boy's history – but even from the short introduction he had shared, Kakashi could see that the infamous Uchiha pride and the murderous ambition in the kid were already shaping him up into an egotistical individualist. In some ways, Sasuke was a painfully familiar reflection of himself during his younger days that Kakashi didn't quite want to be reminded of, and it was something he would have to fix before the boy did something he would regret.

Kakashi had brushed them off, treated them like every other team he had been assigned, with nonchalance and flippancy, but the truth was that the moment he had stepped into the classroom, letting the blackboard eraser fall on his head and meeting the three pairs of wide, unblinking eyes of his students, he had felt the responsibility crash into him like never before. Perhaps it was because of the extremities it contained, what with the prospect of guiding the jinchūriki and the last Uchiha, but Team 7 already seemed to have found a way of getting under his skin before they had even properly formed.

Downing another cup of sake, Kakashi scowled. _Wrong industry_ , he wanted to tell the Sandaime, _put me somewhere else._

"Kakashi!" A heavy hand fell on his shoulder, and Kakashi looked up to find Gai sliding into the stool beside him. "I thought I would find you here, my Eternal and Youthful Rival!"

"Gai," Kakashi greeted, then frowned, "Am I such an alcoholic that a bar is the first place you come looking for me?"

"Yes," Gai answered automatically, then laughed at Kakashi's expression. "A jest, of course," he said good-naturedly, waving away the bartender who came to take his order with a small shake of his head. "Everyone knows that your team is Extra-Youthful! And this is the one of the most remote bar in the entirety of Konoha. I thought you might visit," he added. "Which is why I looked for you here, my Eternal Rival, to let you know about your student."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "My student?"

Gai nodded sagely. "It so happens that I was at the hospital a while ago - a Youthful Genin of mine broke an arm while attempting to run 200 laps around Konoha on his hands – the most admirable, wouldn't you agree? – where I saw one of your students being carried in by the nurses."

Kakashi tensed. "Into the hospital?" He asked. "Which one?"

"The girl," Gai said. "Pink-haired. I do believe she's the one on your team?"

Kakashi felt himself relax. If it was the girl, then he doubted anything too serious had occurred. It would be a different matter entirely if Sasuke, or Naruto had been the ones to be dragged into the hospital. Still, he asked, now more out of formalities than true concern, "Do you know why? Was she injured?"

"No, no." Gai shook his head. "As far as I saw, she was just unconscious. Passed out, it seems. I doubt you've actually tested them yet, but I still wanted to inform you just in case so you would know about where she was." He grinned magnificently. "She is under your Youthful charge after all."

"I didn't." Kakashi said, "Thanks for letting me know, Gai."

Gai gave him a pleased thumbs-up. "Now, this would be where I challenge you to one of our Duels of Eternal Youth and Passion," there was a pause, and Kakashi paled, "But alas, I'm afraid I have some important business left to finish. I will catch you later, my Rival!"

Kakashi watched Gai disappear through the doorway with no small amount of relief before turning back to his sake, pouring himself another cup. Would it have been any of his other students, Kakashi would have felt perhaps slightly alarmed and even inclined to check up on them, but after knowing that it was the girl and she was unhurt, Kakashi didn't feel any particular urgency to go see her. After all, he had only met her once, and she wasn't even properly his student yet.

Kakashi tried to ignore the _yet_ his mind had treacherously tacked on.

In any case, it was too late into the evening, a strange time for an adult male jōnin to visit, or go climbing through windows of the hospital room of a young, genin girl, regardless of if he was her sensei or not.

Finishing the last of the bottle, Kakashi placed some money on the counter and walked out of the bar and aimlessly onto the streets. The girl was a component of Team 7 he had barely found worthy of contemplation. Her puppy love for Sasuke had been blatantly obvious from the moment his eyes had landed on her, her attention span and the ability to speak articulately seemingly evaporating in Sasuke's presence, and if the number of times she had touched her hair per minute was any indication, she cared far more for her appearance than being a ninja. The Academy had ranked her intelligence at the top of the class, far above her peers, but Kakashi hadn't sensed much of that in her either, unless it was another vital aspect of the girl that apparently dissipated near Sasuke.

The girl might have potential, he would give her that, but unless she learned to prioritise her profession and chase it with her all, she would stay an incompetent, substandard kunoichi. And whether it be encouraging or discouraging the girl, meddling in her infatuation with the Uchiha was something he would never deign to engage himself in, so he did hope the girl would grow out of it by herself as soon as possible.

 _You're being too harsh on them from their first impression. Do give them a chance, Kakashi. They might surprise you._ The Sandaime's words from a few days ago came back to him, yet again, and Kakashi shook his head, trying to clear them away. So fine, he would give them a chance. It all depended on their test tomorrow, anyway. If they couldn't show the teamwork Kakashi rightly expected, then he would fail them, regardless of who the team was comprised of. And if they did pass-

Sighing, Kakashi looked up in the direction of the Hokage Tower, regarding the hospital standing next to it thoughtfully.

Maybe she had been pranked by Naruto or something. He did hear the boy was quite well-known for making trouble. Or maybe she had a stomach-ache. Or a headache. Or perhaps she had latched herself too close to Sasuke and in a desperate attempt to get away from the physical contact he had knocked her out. Amidst the amusement, Kakashi truly did hope that was not the case.

* * *

Next morning, when Kakashi arrived at Team 7's meeting place three hours late, Sakura was nowhere in sight, Naruto looked about ready to knock himself out of concern and Sasuke ready to destroy the bridge they were standing on. As he appeared before them, both boys rounded on him, obviously infuriated.

"Sensei!" Naruto cried out. "You're late! Again! I don't believe this!"

Beside him, Sasuke remained silent, but his glare conveyed enough of his agreement with Naruto.

"Sorry, sorry," he said, scratching his neck. "You see, I got- "

"And Sakura-chan!" Naruto cut him off hysterically, leaving Kakashi mildly annoyed that he hadn't even bothered to hear his excuse. "She's not here! It's not like Sakura-chan to be late, or skip training like this!" He then suddenly clutched at his cheeks, stretching his whiskers comically, and his eyes widened with a newfound hypothesis Kakashi was sure was wrong. "What if she's kidnapped, Kakashi-sensei? Maybe some people attacked her home at night, and- and then- Sensei, we have to go rescue her! She could be dying-"

"Shut _up_ , Dobe," Sasuke snapped at the same time Kakashi held up his hands placatingly.

"Naruto," Kakashi said. "Calm down. And no, Sakura is not dead nor is she kidnapped or anything involving enemy ninja." His brows furrowed. It was well into morning, almost noon, and he really had been expecting Sakura to be present. Despite his aversion to the place Kakashi didn't undermine the hospital's competence, and unless it was serious mutilation or an ailment, the medics were usually able to patch most trivial things within a day. Since he would have been notified if it was anything major or life-threatening, not to mention Gai himself had attested to the girl's lack of injury, he had thought Sakura would be out by now. "She's at the hospital."

As expected, Naruto jumped. "At the hospital?" He shouted, then obviously concerned, started barraging him with questions. "What's wrong with her? Is she okay? Did she get attacked? Is it _serious_?"

Kakashi sighed, wishing Naruto had come with a volume dial. "I don't know, Naruto. But I'm sure she's okay. In fact, I'll go check up on her right now. And you are not," he shot Naruto a pointed look, "to follow me. You will stay here with Sasuke, and wait until I return." He didn't know what would be expecting him at the hospital; there was simply no way he was bringing the two along.

Naruto clearly looked as though he was about to protest, but Sasuke spoke up before him. "What about the test?"

"What does that matter?" Naruto turned on him indignantly. "Sakura-chan's at the hospital!"

"And it's obviously not _serious_ ," Sasuke snapped back, "since he's here, talking to us right now. Do you really think he'd be here if she was dying?"

Naruto opened his mouth but no sound came out, apparently beaten by Sasuke's logic.

"If we don't pass the test, we'll be sent back to the Academy. Isn't that what you said?" Sasuke said to Kakashi, the line of his mouth flat and impatient. "So? What about the test?"

Kakashi watched the two with a frown, one obviously frustrated and the other agitated, both clearly unhappy with each other, and felt the displeasure mounting on him in waves. He wouldn't be able to conduct the bell test like this, not only with the pair of them, even if he reduced the number of bells. The whole purpose of the test was teamwork, to see if they would be able to set aside their differences and work with one another, and it wouldn't do with one of the members missing, not to mention it currently looked like Naruto wouldn't even be willing to participate without Sakura. He was impressed by Naruto's adamance to not proceed with the test without her, the wish to not leave anyone out most likely stemming from his own lonely childhood – but being unnecessarily set back wasn't exactly something Kakashi appreciated. "We'll postpone it," he said reluctantly. "We can't proceed with the test without Sakura."

"Really?" Naruto perked up a little at that, while Sasuke's displeasure seemed to double.

"So stay here and wait," Kakashi told Naruto, unable to stop himself from letting impatience leak into his voice. "Do not follow me."

He moved for the hospital without waiting for Naruto's reply, and jumping across the roofs, Kakashi tried to reign in his irritation. Team 7 was nothing but trouble, and he hadn't even _started_ teaching them yet.

* * *

According to the nurse, Sakura had been out cold for the past 12 hours, and had spent the last few drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Chakra exhaustion." the nurse said, clipboard in hand, expression creased heavily with disbelief. Then she gave Kakashi a slow once-over, from his hitai-ate to his jōnin vest, and her brows furrowed threateningly. "Are you her teacher? She told me she'd been training." She barely gave Kakashi any time to respond before brandishing her pen like a weapon. "What were you doing? Was this during _your_ training? What were you _teaching_ her?"

Closing his eye, Kakashi resisted the urge to simply side-step her. Did everyone have to grate on his nerves today? "I apologise," he said, just wishing get this over and done with. "She's a very dedicated student, you see. She must have continued training long after my lessons were finished."

The nurse continued to give him the stink-eye, and Kakashi deeply regretted his moment of decency. At the hospital's entrance, he had spent a second pondering if he should use the door like a normal human being or climb through Sakura's window to avoid the nurses – he would just have to spend a second or two searching from the roofs opposite the building – and in a rare instant of stupidity he had chosen the latter. Look where that had landed him. "I do apologise," he said to the nurse again. "I should have taken better care of her, and I will, from now on." This time, he fixed her with a look that clearly spoke of intolerance. "May I see my student now?"

The nurse huffed. "Room 47," she said, and began to walk away, though not before snapping, "Do _not_ bother her! If she is sleeping, let her be!"

Kakashi nodded peaceably, glad the nurse's admonishment was ending. He himself was about to turn away when a thought passed him, and he paused, calling out to the nurse's back, "Wait."

The nurse turned reluctantly.

"Who brought her here?" Kakashi asked. When the nurse scowled, he smiled innocently. "Just want to thank them."

"It was a boy," she said. "Black-haired. Around her age. But he left before we could ask him any questions."

When the nurse had finally disappeared out of view, Kakashi sighed quietly, feeling more exasperated than he had in a long while, and began making his way towards Sakura's room. It wasn't that the nurse's suspicion of him wasn't understandable, Kakashi knew. Not many ninjas collapsed due to chakra fatigue _inside_ the village, and most of all not a genin, who rarely had an opportunity to exhaust oneself so completely to begin with. She most likely believed Kakashi to be a demon sadist teacher, or something of the kind. Which, however, obviously brought on the next question, Kakashi mused, narrowing his eyes as he stood in front of the Room 47 door, what _had_ caused her chakra exhaustion?

When Kakashi entered, Sakura was sleeping. He slid the door closed and neared her bed soundlessly, noting her pale, gaunt face and slightly laboured breathing. Her hands, folded over her sheets were trembling, albeit sporadic and barely noticeable. They were consistent with the signs of chakra fatigue that he was familiar with, although it was to a much shallower degree than some he had seen. Probably due to her much smaller reserves, he supposed.

Pulling up a chair from the corner of the room, Kakashi sat himself beside her bed. He had been hoping that Sakura would be awake when he arrived, but he could wait – he wanted to ask her questions as soon as she woke up. Kakashi didn't want to give her any time to make up an excuse as to why she was collapsed in a hospital if she hadn't thought of one already.

Taking out his beloved orange book and leaning back on his chair, he eyed Sakura over the pages. A genin to run out of chakra, he thought, she must have repeatedly used a low-level jutsu an incredible number of times, or foolishly attempted a higher-level one, one either requiring a larger amount of chakra, or a level of chakra control that she didn't possess. Feeling as though his temples might start aching, Kakashi moved his gaze back onto his novel.

As if he hadn't thought the jinchūriki and the Uchiha were enough already.

* * *

Naruto laid with his back flat along the railings of the bridge, watching the clouds move with a frown deep set in his features. Theoretically, he knew that he should be training, practising his taijutsu, throwing a kunai, _something_ – but he just couldn't bring himself to, considering Sakura was, for all he knew, in pain and suffering her eyes out at the hospital. She could be calling for her team, he thought, as another wave of worry washed over him, maybe even calling out for _him_ – he should be there by her side. He just didn't want Sakura to be stuck in the hospital alone. So what if it had only been a day since they were put into the same team? They were still a team, weren't they?

 _Sure didn't seem to stop him, though_ , Naruto thought bitterly, as he cast his eyes to his left, where Sasuke was training at a clearing a little distance off from the bridge. He had all but destroyed the wooden dummy in front of him, a barrage of kunai and shuriken that had lodged themselves effortlessly in its vital spots, and now he was going through a sequence of taijutsu movements that Naruto didn't recognise. He scowled. He would never admit it to the bastard's face, but _hell_ if he didn't have good form. Naruto might have been considered as one of the lowest student in the class, which he still firmly disagreed with – people nowadays just didn't seem to recognise flair when they saw it – but even he could see that Sasuke's movements were quick and precise, better than anyone else in the Academy. Not one flicker of the body was wasted, even as he twirled away mid-air from an imaginary opponent. _Maybe that's why Sakura-chan likes him so much_ , he thought glumly, then the wave of guilt hit him again, and unable to bear it anymore he jumped down, a resolute expression on his face.

It wasn't his fault, really. It was Kakashi-sensei's, taking so goddamn long for one little visit to the hospital - Naruto swore it had to be at least like five hours since he'd gone - and making him worry. Why hadn't Kakashi-sensei allowed them to go with him, anyway? Weren't teammates supposed to look out for each other? He shot another dark look in Sasuke's direction. Was he the only one with any sort of decency?

With his mind made, Naruto called out, loud enough for Sasuke to hear, "I'm gonna go see Sakura-chan." When Sasuke didn't reply, he raised his voice even more, "Bastard!"

Sasuke paused mid-kick, lowering his leg and sliding his eyes coolly towards him.

"I'm going to see Sakura-chan," Naruto repeated impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sasuke glanced towards the hospital, then turned back to the dummy. "Do as you like."

"You're not coming?" Naruto's face twisted. "Aren't you even a little worried about her?"

But even before he had finished speaking, Sasuke had begun training again, somersaulting in the air and throwing another row of shuriken towards the dummy. "Ugh!" Naruto growled in frustration. "We're a team, you know that? But you don't even care at all, do you, bastard?" Seeing Sasuke perform a roundhouse kick, Naruto had half a mind to grab his foot and fling him into a tree like a boomerang. "No," he yelled angrily, "All you care about is passing that stupid test!"

Stomping his feet, Naruto spun on his heel and leapt up onto the roofs. _Cruel, heartless, cold bastard_ , he thought disdainfully. _Do as you like?_ Naruto huffed. _Hah! See if I care. See if anyone cares!_

* * *

Kakashi hadn't been watching the exact moment Sakura woke, but he did hear the loud gasp of surprise and the solid slap of a palm against a hard surface, and when he looked up from his book Sakura was sitting up and staring at him with wide eyes, steadying herself against the wall with an outstretched hand. "Kakashi," she breathed, then seemingly catching herself, followed up with, "sensei. Kakashi-sensei."

The pause after the drop of the honorific was miniscule, and Kakashi thought he might have barely recognised it if the girl didn't seem so rattled after the slip-up herself. "What are you doing here?" Sakura's voice was faint, but her eyes were wild, roving at his form, and Kakashi got the distinct feeling that she was looking for something on himself that he did not have. Uncomfortable, Kakashi resisted the urge to shift in his seat. He would not be unsettled by a twelve-year-old girl.

"Looking after my student, of course," Kakashi said, his voice as detached as always. "I got quite a beating from the nurse, you know." Shutting his book closed and placing it gingerly into his back pouch, he fixed her with a deliberate, blank look. "Told me off for running you too hard. Now, I must say I'm impressed." Leaning back in his chair, he took satisfaction in her grimace. "I never quite got the impression that you would be the one to take training so seriously. For a genin to experience chakra fatigue to the extent she ends up unconscious for a day – you must have been training with the intent to kill yourself."

Sakura had finally torn her gaze away and was staring at her lap, biting her lip and looking appropriately ashamed, though Kakashi noted she kept sneaking glances, as if she was expecting to see something different on him each time she looked up. It was getting rather tiresome, and he was half tempted to point it out, but ignored the urge. It wouldn't do to bully the girl _too_ much, lest she clamped up on him. "Not to mention I clearly told you _not_ to tire yourself out yesterday," Kakashi continued. "I remember I even warned you not to eat breakfast in preparation for your training." He paused, lacing his next words with obvious threat. "Are you trying to get yourself demoted and sent back to the Academy?"

Sakura's eyes widened fearfully for what seemed to be the first time since she awoke, and she shook her head fervently. "No," she said. "No. Please. Anything but that."

"So, then," Straightening, he cocked his head at her. "Care to tell me how exactly an Academy graduate like you ended up with chakra exhaustion?"

Sakura hesitated for a few seconds. "It's true that I was training," she finally bit out.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Doing what?"

She looked physically pained to say the words out loud. "Medical ninjutsu."

* * *

Kakashi looked stupefied, and with all things considered, rightly so – but it was the best Sakura could do.

The legendary Copy Ninja, Kakashi of the Sharingan, with almost twenty years of experience under his belt, Sakura knew that there was little in the shinobi arts that Kakashi was unaware of. Medical ninjutsu was presumably the only area she could count on, where Kakashi wouldn't possess enough expertise in to call her out.

Even better, if she managed to pull this off, she would be able to heal her teammates, perhaps not extensively, but enough when needed – without being seen as if she seemingly summoned the ability out of thin air.

Not that Sakura denied that it was a risky bet. Medical ninjutsu required exceptional chakra control, and to be considered to have that much skill while being basically fresh out of the Academy – they hadn't even begun tree-walking, for God's sakes – she would surely have to be at least some sort of genius. A genius that Sakura was sure, wasn't documented anywhere in her Academy reports. Not to mention it took an incredibly long time and tremendous amount of effort to _actually_ begin to be able to heal human flesh and bone.

Still, Sakura was smart, always had been, so she would have far better chance at getting away with it than if she was, say, _Naruto_ or something, and it wasn't like Kakashi knew the true extent of her capabilities. As far as she was concerned, he would hopefully chalk up her abilities to the basic of basics and leave it at that. She tried to ignore the fact that if someone had told Sakura that a student – barely a genin – was able to perform medical ninjutsu without any specialised training or education, she would probably have told them to get out.

It was a sentiment that was mirrored by Kakashi's face, surprised and obviously disbelieving. Sure, the man's face was mostly covered, and even then Kakashi had always been good at masking his emotions, but she had known him for nearly seven years now, and she liked to think that she could read him far better than most people could. But there was something else, Sakura thought warily, something else that had shifted in his expression as his eyes slightly widened and his fingers twitched at his sides at her confession-

Before she could identify it, however, Kakashi had regained his composure, stonily repeating, "Medical-ninjutsu."

Sakura bit her lip, and nodded.

"And how," Kakashi said, "exactly did you learn medical-ninjutsu?"

"My aunt," Sakura supplied swiftly, scared of hesitating and raising even more doubts. Of course, she had no such aunt, but Sakura's parents were indeed ninja and it wasn't as if Kakashi would know if any of her relatives were medic-nin or not. "She's taught me since I was young. Said I had an aptitude for chakra control." She gave him a quick smile. "Also, I've always admired Tsunade-sama of the Legendary Sannin." Ninja role-models and aspirations, Sakura found, never hurt when making stories sound credible.

"I see." Kakashi nodded slowly, looking like he believed not one single word of hers. "That's all quite exceptional, Sakura, but as far as I'm aware, there were no mentions of this in your reports from the Academy."

"Oh, well-" Sakura cast her gaze to her side, frantically thinking of an excuse while pretending to look embarrassed at the praise. "That's because I kept it from everyone else." At Kakashi's raised eyebrow, she hurriedly continued, "You see, it was- it was _my_ thing, you know? I've- I've always been one of the worst students in my class at physical combat, and even though I take pride in being smart, it just- it was never enough. Medical-ninjutsu was my own secret talent that I was cultivating behind the scenes." She looked back up at Kakashi, adding a good measure of desperation and a kind of frustration to her voice that hinted at her insecurities, finding with a grim sort of irony that it wasn't hard to channel at all. Shame at her own inferiority had always been a familiar emotion. Perhaps much more dormant, after training under the Godaime, but present nonetheless. "And tomorrow – well, today – was the critical point. Where I could be promoted genin. I just wanted to show everyone that I wasn't who I used to be…" Sakura trailed off, shooting Kakashi another pathetic look, and she was inwardly pleased to note that while Kakashi looked distinctly uncomfortable with the display of female vulnerability, he also seemed much more pacified, his posture less rigid with suspicion.

"So you decided to run yourself dry the _day_ before the exam?"

Sakura resisted the urge to sigh. Kakashi sure didn't let up easy. "I just wanted to perfect it," she said quietly. "I'm really sorry for that, Kakashi-sensei. I know I ruined everything, and troubled Naruto and Sasuke, too – it was entirely my mistake for not watching myself. So if you decide to send me back to the Academy, I won't be happy, but I'll understand."

Except that she most definitely would _not_ understand, Sakura thought perilously, feeling tendrils of anxiety creep up her spine. She had been distracted, busy crafting up excuses to feed Kakashi, but the fact was that the reality of the situation remained unchanged. She was completely at Kakashi's mercy, and if he decided to fail her, then- _Break out from the Academy, maybe_ , Sakura offered drily. _Then break in to Kakashi's house and throttle him until he allows me onto Team 7._

Kakashi was silent for a long moment, and Sakura swore she could feel her heart beating in her throat – before he said, "I have postponed the test." At Sakura's obviously relieved exhale, he gave her a stern look. "But I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour again. With the Academy singing praises about how sensible you were, I hadn't expected such stupidity as this."

Sakura hadn't registered anything after _postponed the test_ , and realising she would be facing no consequences and that this Kakashi from 7 years ago wasn't as much of a hardass jerk than he had been in her memories – she grinned broadly, stretching her cheeks until it hurt. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei! I'll be on my best behaviour from now on," she saluted. "I swear! Really!"

Kakashi looked mildly amused at her antics, before he grew sober, and touched his chin pensively. "So, Sakura," he said. "How proficient are you, exactly, at medical ninjutsu?"

"Not very." Sakura said quickly, with a regretful shake of her head. "I can heal basic cuts and bruises…" Frowning, she considered how much of her abilities she could divulge, chewing over her words slowly in her mouth. "If I apply myself, perhaps more severe wounds and broken bones…"

"Is that so?" This time, Kakashi let himself look openly surprised. "I'm quite interested. Would you be willing to demonstrate?"

"What?" Taken aback, Sakura fumbled for words as Kakashi regarded her expectantly. She hadn't exactly tested her abilities after returning to her younger self, having spent all her time being hospitalised and even then, struggling to stay conscious for long bouts of time – all she had to go on was Tsunade's reassurance that her medical prowess and chakra control would remain, enabling her superhuman strength, although at significantly less devastating levels due to her reduced reserves. Sakura trusted Tsunade without doubt, but nevertheless felt more than nervous at the prospect of performing it for the first time, in front of _Kakashi_ of all people – she looked down at her hands; it still felt so strange to see her hands like this, so small and porcelain and smooth-

"Sakura?"

Kakashi's voice pulled her out of her reverie, and noticing that he was staring at her with an odd expression, Sakura nodded hastily. "Oh, yes, of course. I can do that. If you have a kunai, or something, then you could cut yourself and I could heal you, or I could cut myself, it doesn't really matter-"

Drawing out a kunai from his back pouch, Kakashi tugged his padded gloves off and slid the blade against his palm in a one, smooth motion. The cut was long, but shallow – it would only take a ghost of her fingers to heal it – and shifting in her seat on her bed, Sakura inched closer towards him. "Okay. If you could stretch out your hand."

He wordlessly extended his palm towards her, and her fingertips tingling with the sensation of the onset of healing chakra, Sakura swallowed, moving to drift them across his hand-

Kakashi suddenly wrenched out of her grasp, and as Sakura's head snapped up in confusion, she was startled to see that his spine had gone ramrod straight, and his visible eye wide, staring at her confoundedly. "Ka-Kakashi-sensei?" She ventured, rattled at his abrupt change of behaviour. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

There was a pause. "I-" Kakashi looked down at the cut across his palm, not bleeding, but just red, the skin barely opened, and without hesitation, pulled his gloves back on. When he looked back up at her, his countenance was as aloof and unperturbed as he had been when she had woken to find him at her side. "No," Kakashi said. "It's nothing. I just remembered – the nurse. You shouldn't exert yourself like this when you're recovering."

But it really wasn't, Sakura thought dubiously. With the reduction of her reserves, she had also lost her Seal of a Hundred Strengths, cutting her chakra supply infinitely smaller than what she was used to, and after a night of unconsciousness she sensed at least half of her chakra levels had been replenished. "But your hand-" she started, and Kakashi cut her off with a dismissive raise of the said hand.

"It's fine, Sakura," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. Though his voice was cool, his form was still tense, albeit slightly – and Sakura wondered with no small amount of worry what she could have done to cause him such unease. Tilting his head sideways, as if listening to something she couldn't hear, Kakashi stood up from the chair. "I should be going, anyway. I left Naruto and Sasuke waiting at the bridge." Sakura wanted to protest, but before she could even open her mouth, Kakashi had already crossed the room just in a few steps. He paused at the door only long enough to muster, "You will take the test tomorrow with the rest of Team 7. Eight o'clock. Training Grounds Three," and promptly walked out, not even bothering to hear her reply.

Helplessly watching the door slide shut behind him, Sakura released a heavy breath, dropping her head into her hands. It had been bad enough that she had had barely enough grip on herself to find out the exact date and time when she had first drifted into consciousness – scarcely registering a blinding, white ceiling and the smell of antiseptics before a blurry nurse had appeared in her vision and after a stern, _You're chakra-exhausted_ , had forced her back into sleep. Then, she had only had moments where she would manage to open her eyes to marvel at her smaller body, her long hair, to curse Tsunade's jutsu for taking so much goddamn chakra – before falling into unconsciousness again. And when she had finally woken up feeling marginally better than she ever had, Kakashi had been sitting next to her, long legs stretched out and reading his book like it was the most natural thing on earth.

Her mouth had instantly gone dry, her heart pounding in her ribcage, and despite her efforts to calm herself her eyes kept going to his chest, where a _fūton_ jutsu had ripped through, shredding his innards, and Sakura kept half-expecting his jōnin vest cloth to flood with blood and the flesh glow green with her healing chakra that hadn't _healed_ -

Sakura took a shuddering breath. She couldn't let herself go off like this – she had known she would see them again, healthy and younger and brighter and _alive_ – hadn't she? The past – her future, she thought ironically, but the past nonetheless – seemed to be indeed and truly in the past, and it wouldn't do to let it hold her back anymore. She wouldn't, _couldn't_ let the visage of death she had seen superimposed on Kakashi be a recurrent traumatic hallucination, but a single, powerful reminder for her, to not fail, but to _succeed_ – her one last, second chance.

She slumped back into the hospital bed, feeling the heady, familiar smell of hospitals seep into her. She wasn't complaining, no, not when she herself couldn't even believe that the jutsu had actually worked – but she had been hoping to more or less wake up peacefully on her bed, ideally months before the graduation, enough time to plan what she would do and how exactly she would go about doing them. She certainly hadn't anticipated being sucked dry to the last of her reserves and coming to a rude awakening at the hospital, barely coherent and feeling as though a tractor had repeatedly run over her body, apparently on the very night of Team 7's formation.

How she had managed to fool Kakashi was beyond her. If she hadn't been able to piece things together from their conversation, she might have not made it at all. Judging from Kakashi's words, tomorrow would be the fateful bell test, where Team 7's teamwork would be challenged for the first time, and that meant she hardly had any time to plan much of her actions before she would be thrown into the fray that was genin Naruto and Sasuke in general.

Time, Sakura thought sardonically, seemed to be the one thing she was constantly running out of.

Indeed, Sakura wasn't even allowed a small respite as her eyes snapped towards the door at the sudden arrival of rapid footsteps echoing through the corridors outside, skidding and stopping in front of her room. She held her breath as the door slammed open, and a blond barrelled through.

"Naruto!" She exclaimed, immediately pushing herself up into a sitting position at the same time he shouted frantically, "Sakura-chan!"

If Sakura had felt as though she could get a heart attack seeing Kakashi, Naruto was worse. Her insides contracted painfully, and as he dashed towards her, she could only stare, choking back the lumps in her throat. _Gods_ , she thought, knowing he would be younger was one thing, but _seeing_ was entirely another – and as she took in his form, face infinitely rounder, eyes brighter and with exuberance that seemed to literally sweep himself off his feet – she had to desperately try to keep her tears at bay.

"You came," Sakura whispered, astonished, still drinking in the pure sight of him – and he grinned, a wide curve of his lips that split his face right open in half.

"Of course I did, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, coming to a halt eagerly at her bedside, like a puppy awaiting praise, but beyond his smile she saw the worried slant of his eyes, and his fingers, loosely curling into his palms at his sides.

 _I've always been afraid of rejection, you know, Sakura-chan. But you saved me. You and Sasuke-teme and Kakashi-sensei and everyone. And I've never- never been happier._

A thousand words rising up and lodging themselves in her throat, Sakura grasped the bed sheets firmly in her hands, looking up at Naruto and wanting to speak – but unable to trust her voice to stay steady. Naruto, in turn, seemed to take her silence in the wrong way, and hurriedly said, "I tried to bring Sasuke, too, but he just wouldn't budge, like what a bastard, right? I figured you'd want to see him, but if he wasn't going, then maybe I could come visit you, instead-" Naruto laughed awkwardly. "I mean, we're teammates now and all, aren't we, Sakura-chan?"

Huffing out a watery chuckle, Sakura shook her head. "No, Naruto," Sakura said, and she saw Naruto's expression falter, his vivacity collapsing like a popped balloon, and she reached out, taking his hand in hers. His hand twitched and he looked at her uncertainly. "We're something better than that." She grinned broadly. "We're friends."

Naruto's eyes widened dramatically, to an extent that was almost comical, and she felt his fingers close around hers, his hands now only just bigger than hers, but the grip strong and warm as she had always known it to be. When Naruto smiled again, it was laced with delight but it was also wobbly, and she thought it might have been much tearier than it had been before. "Right!" Naruto exclaimed, and put his other hand on top of hers, his smile growing. "Friends."

Then he started, looking around his surroundings as if he had just realised that they were in a hospital room, and turning back to her with a flustered expression, asked, "Are you okay, Sakura-chan? You missed training today, you know? I thought you might have been in trouble-" he gave her a brief once-over, "It doesn't look like you're hurt, but- then are you sick? Or are you actually hurt? What happened?"

Sakura laughed, letting go of his hands and patting him on the arm reassuringly. "I'm fine, Naruto. It's just a little bit of chakra fatigue."

Naruto frowned, his face scrunching in confusion. "Chakra fa-fati-? Fati-que?"

Sakura shot him a look that was equal parts affection and exasperation. She had forgotten just how extensive Naruto's knowledge had been in his genin days. Still, he was here, and he was smiling, and he was _alive_ – so she wasn't complaining.

 _No_ , Sakura thought, with a small smile playing on her lips as she watched Naruto sheepishly scratch his head. _Definitely not complaining._

* * *

Naruto exited the hospital with a noticeable spring in his step.

Everything had gone _perfectly_.

If there had been any clear downside to his plan, he had thought that Kakashi-sensei would scold him for disobeying him, but he hadn't even done that. When Naruto had determinedly charged into the hospital he had initially been horrified to find Kakashi leaning against the wall next to the entrance, his raised eyebrow and questioning look rooting Naruto to the spot. It was obvious that he had known Naruto was coming. But Kakashi hadn't shouted, or berated him; he only considered Naruto with a thoughtful, maybe even slightly impressed look, before laying a hand on Naruto's head and repeating his directions from yesterday. _Tomorrow_ , he said. _Training Grounds Three. Eight o'clock. Don't eat breakfast._ If he had sensed venom and unspoken promises of complete exhaustion in Kakashi's last words, Naruto liked to think he had been imagining it.

None of that mattered, anyway, Naruto thought gleefully. Sakura was okay. Sakura was his friend! She was glad that he came! Naruto _knew_ he had made the right decision in going to see her – there was just no way anyone would have liked being stuck by themselves in the hospital with no one coming to visit them. Even if Kakashi-sensei was there, Naruto was sure, the man probably had only badgered Sakura and it couldn't have been any better than being alone, if not worse.

Though initially heading towards his apartment, deciding to reward himself for the magnificent day and being an awesome friend all around – Naruto swung into main street where Ramen Ichiraku stood at the last minute.

Then he saw Sasuke, standing on the roof of a building, black eyes fixed on him. Surprised, Naruto met his gaze for an instant before Sasuke promptly turned, and leapt down into the crowded streets, his form but a dark blur amidst bustling bodies.

Naruto's eyes widened with realisation, and starting towards him, he shouted, "Sasuke!" There was no response, and Sasuke's figure was getting further and further away from his sight, but he kept yelling anyway, certain that he could hear him. "Tomorrow! Eight o'clock! Training Grounds Three!" And then, with a lot more relish, "Sakura's okay!"

Squinting his eyes, Naruto caught a short glimpse of the red and white Uchiha fan before even that, too, disappeared completely into the streets.

"So," Naruto said to himself, rocking on his heels with barely concealed satisfaction. "he did care a little." He grinned. "What a bastard."

* * *

A/N: I just wanted to say, I have been absolutely blown away by all the positive feedback that I've received in the short time that I uploaded the prologue. It was extremely encouraging and I thank all of you for your support. This is the first official chapter in the story and is nearly four times longer than the previous one, and most of the chapters, unless there is a specific plot device or cliff-hanger that I really want to use – will roughly be around this length. I don't quite want this story to have a hundred chapters that go nowhere in regards to plot, but also don't want each chapter to be so long that it becomes boring.

Please do leave a comment in the review section below! I would love to hear your opinions and feedback on my work. It truly does make my day.


	3. Little Seeds II

_Why do you cry? Are your tears for an unrequited love, or the birth of hate?_

 _No, no, neither. I cry for the boy that was lost. And that is it._

* * *

Sakura had only been discharged from the hospital amidst the nurse's ceaseless chastising late into the evening – at which point in time she was so thoroughly sick of sleeping and staying still in general that she had immediately headed for the training grounds. She had taken her time in making her way to the most remote clearing she could find, checking and re-checking that she was alone, then standing in the middle of the deserted field, she had raised her fist, focused chakra into her hand, and slammed it down onto the ground- satisfaction curling her lips blithely when the ground cracked and rose around her, breaking apart in fissures.

Sure, it was infinitely less than what she had been capable of in the past, the extent of the damage barely spanning a ten or so metres in radius, but it was still more than what she had expected of her young and decidedly more fragile body.

However, her reserves were an entirely different issue. The single punch had already taken a significant portion of her chakra, and Sakura doubted that she could exercise such feats of strength more than a few times at once. What she needed stamina, and endurance, which would inevitably aid in building up her reserves.

Then she had hurried home, remembering with a start that her parents would be waiting for her. In the war, Sakura had barely even seen her parents, who had been charged with guarding the civilians at emergency protection shelters due to their low rank – and it was a strange feeling, she thought, a strange, heavy feeling to have someone back at home, to _have_ a home again, as she answered her parents' worried fussing with tired, but bright smiles and reassurances.

Her body over-rested from her stay in the hospital and unable to sleep, Sakura spent her night splitting her hand open with her kunai, healing it, waiting for her chakra to regenerate, then repeating the process – trying to approximate how far she could go – all the while grimly considering her plans for the future.

Now that she was already thrust into her genin team, Sakura knew that she wouldn't have much time to plan her actions extensively, but she could at least set certain benchmarks for her to aim towards. First priority for now, of course, would be to prevent Sasuke's defection. Even with taking her training into consideration, with her current body it would be more than difficult for her to _kill_ Orochimaru – no matter how much she wanted to be decapitate the dastard – so she would simply have to protect Sasuke from him and the Cursed Seal to the best of her ability, which meant she _literally_ would have to train herself to death. Perhaps, Sakura mused, if she devoted some more time to it, she would be able to figure out a way to tip off the Hokage or similarly important people by the time of the Chūnin Exams.

Then she would need to find out how to later _actually_ get rid of Orochimaru, and she had to somehow get in contact with Itachi, for there was no way she was letting _that_ ruination of Sasuke's mind happen again – then deal with the Akatsuki, _Gods_ , Sakura thought, _and Pein_ – so many bloody things had happened in the short six, seven years of her life – and of course, with the Akatsuki came Danzō and Obito and then Madara-

Sakura reined herself in. That would be years from now. The future – the _future past_ – was decidedly frightening, but for now it was paramount for her to focus on the present, and train to reach the abilities of her past self. She wouldn't interrupt Naruto or Sasuke in their training, no – just as Naruto had his own goal, and Sasuke had his own, Sakura now had _her_ own – and it took precedence to make sure that she would be strong enough for it.

When dawn hit, Sakura cut her hair, leaving the strands curling at her neck, substituted her qipao dress for a qipao shirt and appropriate dark pants, properly packed and fastened her pouch, and arrived at the meeting place ten minutes early even though she knew Kakashi wouldn't appear for at least another three hours.

All in all, Sakura thought, to a reasonable degree, she felt quite prepared.

Which didn't explain why her hands were clammy, she couldn't stop tapping her feet, and her fingers continually twitched towards her hair as she waited for her teammates.

 _For the love of God, Sakura_ , she told herself, _get a grip_.

She was up to counting her eighty-seventh sheep in a vain attempt to calm down when Sasuke sauntered into the training grounds, hands in his pockets and expression impassive.

Sakura instantly froze, unable to take her eyes off of him as he walked across the clearing to a tree a little distance away from hers, and leant against the bark with his arms crossed over his chest. Her hands shook, and curling her fingers into her shirt Sakura roved her eyes over his form, not quite sure that this was real, that this was _Sasuke_ , not yet overtaken with suffering, the edges of his antipathy not yet honed – with his dark hair framing _Konoha's_ hitai-ate, with no ninjatō by his side, the lines of his face smoother, the slant of his eyes lower-

He looked _young_ , Sakura realised with a sharp intake of air.

Of course, that was to be expected – but to her even at the age of twelve Sasuke had always seemed so much more _older_ than everyone else – perpetually with a distant, resolute look on his face, like he was seeing something _beyond_ them, something they couldn't see, a part of something greater than all of them combined. It was an aspect of Sasuke that had formed an unreachable, untouchable air around him, one that Sakura, in her younger days, had idolised, wanting desperately to breach the barrier while afraid not to, lest it disappear-

But he had always been just a boy, hadn't he? Forsaken, and horribly bitter, having lost everything but his pain and hate, but still, a boy nonetheless-

 _So it took me a lifetime, Sasuke_ , Sakura thought, her heart heavy as she gazed at him – _to see you. To truly see you. It took me a lifetime-_

Exhaling a deep sigh, Sakura turned her stare away and tilted her head up towards the sky. And despite herself, her lips quirked.

She had wanted to cry when she had seen Naruto and Kakashi, her throat choking up and her chest throbbing – because she had missed them, had _missed_ seeing Naruto's devil-may-care grin without the expectations and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people on his shoulders, had _missed_ talking to Kakashi without the shadow of guilt that flitted across his face whenever his eyes landed on her. But she had also wanted to cry because she missed _them_ , the Naruto and Kakashi that had _known_ her, had shared the pain of losing Sasuke together, had been the people that would give her a fleeting hug, or a pat on the back when they walked past, a quiet reassurance that _it's okay_ \- And so Sakura had grabbed onto the Naruto of this lifetime far more quickly than she had in the past, because in some ways she felt so much more _alone_ after returning in time.

But seeing Sasuke wasn't like that.

Seeing Sasuke- _this_ Sasuke – felt glorious.

Shameful, yes, of how foolish she had been in the past. Guilty, yes, of having been unable to save Sasuke, who had always been just a boy desperately trying not to drown in his own sorrow.

But so _glorious_ – a ridiculous, giddy feeling of delight, of new hope, of a second chance. It had been hanging over her, like a large, overhead canopy this whole time, but seeing Sasuke's face made it so much more tangible, causing the sheer mass of it to come toppling down onto her head.

Unable to resist the broad grin blooming on her face, she quietly laughed into her hands. _I found him, Naruto_ , Sakura thought. _The Sasuke we were looking for all this time. I found him._

Exhaling deeply, and with a determined expression, Sakura turned, and walked towards him purposefully.

 _And this time, I'll make sure he stays by your side._

"Hello, Sasuke," she said, when she was directly in front of him, intentionally dropping the _kun_. It was the first step for change.

Sasuke slowly looked up from the kunai he had been lazily twirling between his fingers, giving her a dispassionate look. If he recognised her change in appearance, he didn't show it.

"I wanted to apologise," Sakura soldiered on, undeterred by his apathy. She had endured his indifference for years; she could endure it for some more. "For yesterday. It was my fault the exam got postponed."

Sasuke didn't reply, although his eyes had narrowed slightly.

"And also," she continued, "I really wanted to get this out of the way between us – I'm not going to obsess over you anymore." Sakura held up her hands in a likeness of a gesture of surrender. "I know, I'm not ashamed to admit it, because its true – I followed you around a lot, and probably annoyed you to death at times. But we're teammates, now, and I think that's something much bigger and a lot more important than a silly crush. So basically," Sakura took a breath, "what I wanted to say was – I hope we can work together well from now, and most of all, I hope we can be friends."

Then she smiled as widely as she could, and stuck out a hand towards him.

Somehow, Sakura had expected herself to be _shaking_ , to be afraid of his reaction, scared of his rejection – but to her surprise, found that she wasn't. Her smile at Sasuke wasn't forced, or carved out of desperation – it was simply that she thought if God had been nice enough to grant her a second chance, then she wanted to do it _well_ this time, without any regrets. And not being Sasuke's friend, not even having _tried_ to be his friend, not facing him properly like Naruto and _talking_ to him, too busy marvelling at the very shadow which had been eating away at his soul – had always been a regret of hers.

As she thought, Sasuke didn't reach out and shake her hand or give her a warm, welcoming reply – but his eyebrows were raised, and while he looked at her strangely, Sakura thought it might be a good kind of strange, the kind of strangeness one felt when something happened that they hadn't expected, and well, for now, Sakura was satisfied with being unexpected.

Knowing that more of putting Sasuke on the spot would make him uncomfortable, she withdrew her hand with a laugh. "Right, no handshake, then. Forgot you dislike physical contact. Still, I'm glad I said my piece."

She moved under the tree beside him, keeping a respectful distance between their bodies, and clasping her hands behind her back, nodded to herself in satisfaction. This was fine. She didn't need her love to be requited, didn't need Sasuke to suddenly be the best of friends with her – didn't need any of that. She would be happy, _more_ than happy – if Sasuke could stay in Konoha, could stay a member of Team 7, could stay a friend. She would be happy if she could pay Naruto back for everything he did and more.

She would be happy if this time, she could stand by their sides, instead of behind them – as they walked.

A few minutes passed without any of them saying anything, during which Sakura's mind wandered, thinking agitatedly – _Where's Naruto? Don't tell me he's going to be late, too_ – when Sasuke suddenly spoke up, almost startling her. "Wh-what?" Sakura asked, her head snapping towards him.

Sasuke was looking at her with clear impatience. "I said," he spoke slowly, "Why were you hospitalised?"

"Oh! Oh, right, well," Sakura rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Chakra exhaustion."

He looked surprised. "Chakra exhaustion?" Sasuke frowned.

She nodded. "Training," she said grimly.

Turning away, Sasuke looked doubtful, but Sakura supposed it was completely understandable considering her previous enthusiasm, or the lack thereof, of her younger self when it came to training, not to mention her rather shoddy physical abilities.

A few more moments passed before Sasuke broke the silence again. "So you exhausted yourself the _day_ before the exam?"

Sakura looked heavenward, the words familiar. "You're saying the exact same thing Kakashi-sensei did," she told him crossly.

Sasuke shrugged, and beside him, Sakura huffed out a laugh.

This time, when they fell quiet it was until Naruto came, loudly fussing over her hair, _Holy crap, Sakura-chan, what did you do to your hair- No, no, I mean that it looks way good, way good_ – then his own hair, _Maybe I should get a haircut, too_ – and then insulting Sasuke's hair, _Like a duck's ass- Shut up, Dobe_ – and while Naruto and Sakura carried the conversation through, they waited some more.

* * *

 _You have to forgive yourself, Kakashi-sensei._

 _Don't call me that. I don't deserve to be called that. Never have._

Kakashi mulled over the words, chewing them slowly inside his mouth.

He definitely wasn't proud of the way that he had practically _fled_ from Sakura's hospital room the day before, but in his defence, Kakashi hadn't quite been prepared for what he had seen, either.

When the girl had told him she could perform medical-ninjutsu, he had first been disbelieving, then impressed – and then it had _hurt_ , the way old scars did just about when one forgot about them – and he had wanted to wince at how now, Team 7 was almost a perfect parallel image of Team Minato, and how that fact only made him want to run far, far away- But Kakashi had always lived stoically, hadn't ever let his worthless contrition hinder his duty, and wasn't about to start letting it – _carry the legacy, hide the guilt, hold the regret_ – and so he had shut that drawer.

Then when he had asked her to demonstrate, it was out of pure curiosity, and Kakashi told himself that there was no dubiety involved, no secret hope that perhaps the girl was bluffing and she had no Rin inside her after all, right?

And when her hands had moved towards his palm and he felt a familiar lurching in his stomach, Kakashi had tensed, readying himself for the vestige of Rin that would surely appear. _Not again_ , he had thought, _I thought I had gotten over this_ \- but when he had looked up at her face she hadn't been Rin at all, but Sakura herself – and Kakashi couldn't help but stare, because it _was_ the girl but her hair was shorter and her eyes were darker and there were thick bandages wrapped around her neck and Kakashi somehow, instinctively _knew_ that there were bruises in the shape of fingerprints behind the fabric. Then her mouth had moved, her voice ghosting over his skin and leaving goosebumps in its wake, _We never blamed you_ , and then his own voice, even though Kakashi hadn't opened his mouth at all, _Maybe you should start_.

He had had a brief moment of utter confusion before a wave of guilt rose out of nowhere and slammed into his gut hard – leaving him wheezing for breath and his ribcage collapsing inwards into his heart, and feeling static run up his spine he had to lurch his hand back-

Then it was gone.

Kakashi knew that the Haruno line didn't have any bloodline, and it wasn't a genjutsu – he could tell that much. No genjutsu could even hope to imitate the amount of pain and self-reproach that he had felt, and it was one that hadn't even made sense because _why_ would he feel guilty upon seeing Sakura? And it had been a Sakura, he thought, looking back on it, that was undeniably _older_ –

He briefly entertained the notion of him being a psychic, before quickly growing sober and discarding the possibility.

Perhaps it had just been a phantasmal product of his panicked conscience, having unwillingly noted the eerie similarities to his past. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Regardless, he would have to keep an eye out.

Kakashi exhaled bitterly. "It's strange, Rin," he told her gravestone, the meticulously carved letters. "I thought it was you. But it wasn't you."

But of course, there was no reply, and giving the plaque a pat, Kakashi stood up and began heading towards Training Grounds 3.

* * *

"Seriously?" Naruto demanded as their teacher finally appeared into view. "Is he _serious_? Is this going to happen _every_ time?" With obvious annoyance, he yelled, "Kakashi-sensei! You're late! _Again_! Why do we even bother coming early?"

Beside him, used to Kakashi's tardiness, Sakura merely sighed, while Sasuke's face twisted into a displeased frown as they walked out from under the trees, meeting him at the middle of the clearing.

"Sorry, sorry," Kakashi said, scratching his neck. "You see, on the way here, I saw a black cat, and so I naturally had to walk the long way around it-"

"Liar!" Naruto pointed accusingly at him, and Sakura chuckled quietly. The threat of war had taken many things away from them, one of which had been Kakashi's perpetual lack of punctuality, and looking up at his figure, Sakura thought nostalgically, _His excuses, how long has it been since I last heard one?_

She frowned when she saw Kakashi looking at her, too, his eyes lingering a fraction of a second longer than it should have before it glided over her form and onto Naruto and Sasuke.

"Well, anyway, since we're all here," Kakashi said, putting emphasis on the word _all_ , vaguely gesturing in Sakura's direction, "We can finally begin our test." She felt Sasuke tense, beside her, and Naruto, too, although he more seemed to be torn between gulping in anxiety and bounding with excitement.

Rummaging through his pouch, Kakashi took out an alarm clock, placed it on a tree stump beside him, then withdrew a pair of small, silver bells which dangled by their strings from his outstretched hand. "Your test today will be to take one of these bells from me by noon. Anyone who fails to obtain a bell will not be allowed lunch, and tied to the logs over there," he tilted his head towards the far side of the clearing, where three logs stood ominously, "while you watch me eat your lunch in front of you." Kakashi's eye crinkled in amusement at the look of horror and disgruntlement on Naruto and Sasuke's face, respectively. "I do hope you all skipped breakfast like I told you to."

Sakura looked skyward with a resigned, but fond expression. Kakashi really had been a teacher in his own league, hadn't he?

After a few seconds, when neither Naruto or Sasuke deigned to comment on the obvious, Sakura deemed it appropriate to point out, "But there are only two bells, and three of us."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, which means at least one of you will be tied to the logs." Attaching the bells to his waist, he added noncommittally, "Those who fail will also be sent back to the Academy. I hope that's some reason for motivation, because unless the three of you come at me with the intent to kill, you'll never be able to get a bell." He held up his hands, and smiled cheerily. "The test begins when I say start."

* * *

Sakura observed the fight from the trees above as Naruto threw himself at Kakashi, stifling a laugh when Kakashi used his 'One Thousand Years of Death', and nodding appreciatively when Naruto leapt into the air, summoning his shadow clones with a quick series of hand seals. His strategy was practically non-existent, an unthinkable approach for a ninja – but the technique, for a genin, was certainly impressive. She hadn't known it back then – but the sheer number of shadow clones Naruto produced was more than ridiculous for his age – and hinted at his already enormous chakra reserves.

As Naruto proceeded to continually get his ass handed to him, quite literally – Sakura considered her course of action. She knew that they would pass – even if they failed to obtain the bells, Kakashi would tie Naruto to the logs for trying to steal their lunch, and Sasuke would decide to feed him, thereby evincing their spirit of teamwork. But Sakura didn't fancy screaming her lungs out at a timely genjutsu and fainting – she still remembered that one with awful clarity, Kakashi had been one nasty teacher – and then generally doing nothing for the duration of the test, either. If she was going to even hope to protect Sasuke in battle, then she would have to establish a place in the team to fight by their sides, instead of being considered as a liability to protect.

Hearing Naruto's brief, surprised shout as the ropes of Kakashi's trap looped itself around his ankle and left him dangling upside down from a tree branch, Sakura leapt down, silently sneaking towards Naruto. She watched as a barrage of shuriken flew towards Kakashi, one expertly cutting through Naruto's ropes as Sasuke took his place in trying to outwit Kakashi in physical combat, and reaching out, she grabbed the back of Naruto's jumpsuit and pulled him down into the foliage towards her before he could charge at Kakashi again.

"Wha-" Naruto exclaimed, then catching sight of Sakura, his eyes widened. "Sakura-chan! Where have you been all this time?"

"Hiding," she told him matter-of-factly. "I was looking for an opening in Kakashi's defence." She glanced towards the clearing, where Sasuke and Kakashi were still engaged in a fierce bout of taijutsu, though to her it was obvious that Kakashi was merely toying with him. "Doesn't seem like there's much, though, huh?"

Naruto's face scrunched in a frown. "You can say that again, Sakura-chan. He swatted me away like I was a fly or something, you know?"

Sakura sighed loudly. "If we keep attacking him one by one, at this rate, none of us will get the bells and we'll all fail," she said, blinking forlornly.

As she thought, at the display of open uncertainty Naruto immediately jumped up, facing Sakura determinedly. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I'll make sure we pass! In fact," he said, blue eyes glinting. "What if we team up? I'm sure we'll get a bell or two if we attack him at the same time!"

Sakura inwardly smirked, pleased Naruto had latched onto her gist so quickly. "That's a great idea, Naruto!" She clapped her hands enthusiastically. "But we have to get Sasuke, too."

"What?" He scowled. "The bastard? But the bells, there's only two-"

"He's a part of our team, Naruto," she told him firmly. "We surely can't _abandon_ him."

Naruto looked reluctant, but after some deliberation and another stern look from Sakura, nodded. "Alright, Sakura-chan. I still don't know about the bastard, but I guess we do need the bells."

Noting the distant shout of " _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!" and figuring Sasuke would be incapacitated by Kakashi's earth jutsu soon enough, Sakura shot Naruto a smile, and pushed him towards the open clearing. "Good. I'll go get Sasuke, so distract Kakashi for me, okay?"

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up, running out of the bushes, and Sakura was also about to jump up to the trees when she heard Sasuke's voice coming from right behind her.

"S-Sakura-"

She whirled, stopping dead as she came face to face with Sasuke, limping towards her with blood pouring fresh from the ripped gashes in his chest, his sides as well as what she could see of his back littered with countless senbons, the needles continuing down even to his legs. "Sa-Saku-ra," he spluttered, blood gurgling in his throat and dripping down from the corner of his mouth. "Help- Help me, _please_ -"

Sakura swallowed, feeling herself tremble minutely. _Genjutsu_ , she told herself. _This is a genjutsu-_ " _Kai_ ," she said, holding a hand seal, and Sasuke dissipated, leaving her staring at the trees. Sakura exhaled deeply. _Goddamn it._ She had known that it was a genjutsu the moment she landed her eyes on him – but a disturbing familiarity about the illusion had rooted her to the spot. _Just like the wave mission_ , Sakura thought with a shudder, _had my previous genjutsu looked like that?_

She shook her head, trying to clear herself of the image, and leapt up, heading towards where Sasuke's shout of his fire jutsu had come from. When she found him, Sasuke was neck-deep in the soil, poking out from the ground like some sort of a grand head bust that she forgot all about the genjutsu, and burst out laughing.

Sasuke glared at her silently, an expression of extreme displeasure on his face, clearly not happy with being humiliated.

"Hello, Sasuke," she said, wisps of laughter still escaping her. "How's the view down there?" When he continued to glower at her, she simply grinned at him, and asked, "What happened?" Of course, she knew the answer, but she just wanted to hear it from him.

"Some earth jutsu," he spat. "Pulled me underground." He shot her an irritated look when she chuckled again.

"Tell you what," Sakura said, unable to stop herself from smiling cheekily. "I'll get you out of there, if you promise to listen to me for a bit."

Sasuke seemed ambivalent, but evidently seeing no choice in the matter, asked, "How are you going to get me out?"

Sakura shrugged. "You'll see. But after you get out, I want us to work together – come on, Sasuke, don't give me that look – he's a jōnin, for god's sakes. We won't be able to beat him in one-on-one combat, no matter how hard we try."

"He clearly said at least one of us will be sent back to the Academy," Sasuke said brusquely. "If you're somehow trying to scrape through by sticking with me-"

He was rudely cut off by a heel that had slammed itself down onto the ground inches from his face – and his eyes widened as the ground cracked and shattered around him, creating a sharp crevice through the soil. He barely had any time to react before Sakura leaned down and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him up.

Sasuke immediately wrenched his wrist away from her grip as soon as he found his balance, although not before staring at her with obvious surprise.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You were saying?"

He started, and realising that he was gaping, rearranged his expression into one of curious sort of wariness, his brows furrowing. "How did you-"

"Tell you later," Sakura waved him off, and when Sasuke scowled at her, she tapped her wrist with her fingers. "Time, remember? It's almost noon."

They ran towards where Kakashi and Naruto were fighting, or to be precise, where there was more amount of smoke produced from Naruto's clones being dispersed than him actually managing to land a single hit – and Sakura dropped down between the pair, pushing Naruto back towards Sasuke with one hand while busying Kakashi with a roundhouse kick, which he deflected with his arm. Sakura had put significantly less amount of chakra than what she had used to break Sasuke out from the ground, but she still saw Kakashi's eyes widen imperceptibly at the contact, before narrowing once more – and drawing a row of shuriken from her pouch, she threw it at him to create distance between them – before vaulting up into the trees where Naruto and Sasuke were hiding.

Naruto decidedly looked battered, breathing harshly as he pointed at Kakashi below them. He hadn't deigned to chase her, seemingly scanning his surroundings, but Sakura had no doubt that Kakashi knew where they were. He probably just wanted to give them some time to work out a team strategy of sorts if they were planning one. "He just spent the whole time chasing me around!" Naruto panted. "I thought _I_ was supposed to chase _him_!"

Beside him, Sasuke fixed her with a look of vague annoyance. "We're supposed to work with _him_ , too?" He jerked his head towards Naruto. "You do realise that there are only two bells, right?"

"Doesn't matter," Sakura shook her head, while Naruto frowned at Sasuke. "We need to act together, and if the three of us cooperate to get a bell, then he might let us all pass-"

Sasuke scoffed. "And what if he doesn't? What's the Dobe going to be good for, anyway – he couldn't even _touch_ Kakashi's bells with a hundred clones."

Naruto flared up. "Hey! I was _distracting_ him – so Sakura could have some time to go save _your_ dirt-stuck ass-"

"Guys," Sakura tried to cut in. "Stop-"

"I'm not risking my shinobi career on him," Sasuke told her crisply. "I have goals to achieve-"

"Oh, _yeah_?" Matching Sasuke's cold tone, Naruto's hands balled into tight fists. "Well, neither am _I_ -"

"Guys!" Sakura finally exploded, and momentarily forgetting that they were standing on a branch, she stomped her foot – snapping the wood cleanly and causing the three of them to go hurtling towards the ground. As they landed, Sasuke settling on his feet as elegantly as always although he did look slightly rattled, and Naruto somersaulting behind her, Sakura heard the high-pitched, jarring trill of the alarm clock.

She closed her eyes in exasperation. _For God's sakes_.

* * *

The three of them stood in a row before Kakashi, fidgeting uneasily while he stared at them with an unreadable expression. Sakura was certain that he had heard their spat in the trees, and the thought shot a sharp arrow of anxiety through her body. In the past Team 7 had also failed the bell test, but it was simply that they hadn't even _thought_ of working together – not consciously _rejecting_ the idea of it – and she wondered if Kakashi would still let them have another chance with the lunches.

"So," Kakashi drawled, "none of you managed to get the bells."

Naruto visibly flinched, while Sasuke scowled deeply. Worry eating away at her, too, Sakura chewed on her lip, waiting for Kakashi's next words that would surely crack down on them like a whip.

"The good news," Kakashi said, "is that I won't send any of you guys back to the Academy." Ignoring Naruto's surprised gasp, he continued, "Instead," Kakashi gave each of them long, disparaging looks, "You guys should all just quit being a ninja."

"What-" Naruto reflexively blurted. "You can't be serious- but why?"

"Why?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "That's obvious. It's because all of you are just _kids_ – worthless, _incapable_ kids – and I honestly fail to see the value nor potential in you to become a decent ninja."

Beside her, Sakura felt Sasuke stiffen, as though Kakashi's words had struck a chord within him, and before she knew it he was darting towards Kakashi, jaw clenched and a kunai held firmly in his grasp-

But Kakashi was faster, and in a blink of an eye, he was sitting on top of Sasuke, twisting his arm behind his back, and pushing a foot onto the back of Sasuke's head into the ground. " _This_ ," Kakashi said, giving his foot a shove, and trying to keep his head afloat, Sasuke winced despite himself. "Is exactly what I am talking about. Do you think being a ninja is easy?" Kakashi narrowed his eyes, shaping his words scathingly. "You clearly fail to see the objective behind this test – an answer that should have been clear to you the instant you were separated into teams. And yet, you spent the entirety of this test flailing about and wasting time."

"Wh-what's the answer, then?" Naruto bravely called out, although Sakura could see that his hands were shaking at his sides. She didn't blame him; she knew that Kakashi always meant for the best with these tests of his, but it went without saying that he was downright petrifying like this – his visible eye dark and voice deadly calm.

"Teamwork," Kakashi said, and Sakura sensed both Naruto and Sasuke's gazes snap to her, although the former soon turned away guiltily and the latter seemed to have enough trouble even raising his head enough to look at her.

"Why were there only two bells, then?" Naruto persisted, face twisted into an expression of clear mistrust. "That pits us against each other!"

"As shinobi, there will be times in missions where you must put the team first before your selfish interests. Any unplanned individual actions," he gave Sasuke's head another press, "can jeopardize the mission and put your teammates in danger. The objective of this test was to see if you would be willing to look past the fact that there are only two bells – to work together and obtain them as a team."

Naruto fell silent at his explanation, his head dropping to stare at his feet as comprehension dawned on him.

"Naruto, you began off acting by yourself, didn't discuss anything with your teammates, in fact, didn't even have a strategy until Sakura approached you – and you were quick to react with anger towards Sasuke which only escalated the argument between you two," Kakashi said. "Sasuke, the same went for you – you considered Naruto and Sakura so below your abilities that you only thought of them as a burden and decided to act alone. That pride," he told Sasuke, "will be enough to get you killed one day."

"And Sakura," he finally turned towards her and she tensed, but at her anxious look, Kakashi's eye seemed to soften slightly. "I saw that you tried to recruit your members, but in the end you lacked the ability to convince them and ultimately lost temper yourself – failing to bring the team together."

Once Kakashi had finished speaking, silence reigned over the clearing – all three of them wearing grim, doleful looks on their faces as they looked at the ground. For Sakura, she couldn't stop feeling as though she had made everything worse – Kakashi's lecture was familiar, but he seemed to be so much more disapproving and disappointed than before. Now, it would entirely fall on her shoulders if Team 7 didn't manage to pass.

"However," Kakashi's voice cut through the field like a knife. "I will give you another chance."

Naruto's head flew up, and so did Sakura's – while Sasuke continued to look sober.

"Sakura!" Kakashi called out, and she started, feeling as though her heart might drop to her stomach. "Because you were the only one to grasp the true meaning this test, I will give you a choice." Kakashi threw her two lunch boxes, and she instinctively caught them, looking up at him in confusion. "Team 7 will re-try the bell test after lunch," he told her. "Now, you may choose either Naruto, or Sasuke," he gestured to the blond, and then to Sasuke at his feet, "to accompany you in the test. You _will_ choose one – I will not let the only decent member in this pathetic excuse for a team to forfeit herself. However, if you disobey me here, I will do everything in my power to see that it will take you a _long_ time to graduate, and the person that you do not choose will automatically be sent back to the Academy for further training."

Sakura stood motionlessly on the spot, while Naruto buried his face into his hands and Sasuke glanced at her, then looked away, his jaw set.

"Well, then," Kakashi said, "I'll leave you guys be. I will return later, and Sakura, I expect you to have made your decision, and to share the lunch with the person that you have chosen to remain in Team 7." True to his word, Kakashi rose soundlessly, and moving away from Sasuke, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke slowly pulled himself up with a grimace, and putting down the lunches on the ground, Sakura rushed to his side, while Naruto helped him up, muttering, "You okay, bastard?"

Sasuke brushed both of them off. "I'm fine."

"What a demon," Naruto said, blowing out a heavy breath. "And he calls himself a teacher…" Turning to Sakura, he fixed her with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. This wouldn't have happened if we had just listened to you-"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it's okay. You couldn't have known – with only two bells and all."

"Still." Naruto scowled, obviously displeased with himself, then the look in his eyes grew resolute. "Sakura-chan, you should go with the bastard."

Sasuke looked at him incredulously, while Sakura protested, "Wait, Naruto-"

"No," Naruto said firmly. "You have to go on, because you were the only one who understood the test. And Sasuke, no matter how crappy his personality," he pulled a face, "will help you pass more than I ever will." Pointing at himself, Naruto laughed self-derogatorily. "Dead last, you know? I already failed graduation like three times – I can fail one more. I'll just pass the next one!"

Sakura opened her mouth, ready to speak up, when Sasuke cut in icily. "No," he snapped, with more venom than they had heard him speak with, and Naruto's gaze snapped towards him with obvious surprise. "Go with the Dobe," he told her tersely. "I was the one who refused to work with you two – the blame lies with me." It was obvious how much the admission was taking its toll on him – Sasuke was gritting his teeth, and his hands were tightly curled into fists, the chagrin and anger towards himself radiating off of him in waves.

Briefly, Sakura was reminded of when he had turned his back to Naruto on the trees. _I have goals to achieve-_ She could tell how much Sasuke hated saying the words; being sent back to the Academy would mean more time wasted before becoming a proper shinobi, and she knew that in Sasuke's mind, time was a luxury he didn't have in his chase of Itachi. _Yet he-_

"Don't be stupid, bastard!" Naruto broke through her reverie, shouting irately at Sasuke. "Do you want Sakura-chan to fail, too, or something? Obviously our priority should be letting _her_ pass, don't you think? There's no place for your stupid pride or sense of justice or something to come in-"

Sasuke looked ready to snarl right back, and pursing her lips, Sakura scowled – _she_ was the one with the power here, wasn't she? "Shut up!" She yelled, and kicked the ground below her – this time having the desired effect as a crack shot across the soil and both boys instantly grew quiet, Naruto staring in astonishment at the split earth while Sasuke regarded her uncomfortably. " _I'm_ the one choosing, aren't I? Why the hell are _you_ guys fighting? There's no point," she told them irritably. "I've already made my decision a long time ago." Naruto and Sasuke both tensed, awaiting her answer, and despite herself, Sakura's lips pulled into a tired smile. "I'm going with _both_ of you."

Naruto groaned in obvious exasperation while Sasuke gave her a disbelieving look. "Did you even _hear_ him? Then he'll send _you_ back-"

"I don't care," Sakura said firmly, standing her ground. "We came here as a team; we're going to walk out of here as a team. I don't care if it takes a year or _ten_ years for me to graduate, I am _not_ leaving any one of you while I go capering along to Kakashi-sensei."

" _Sakura-chan_ ," Naruto pleaded, and she silenced him with a sharp look.

"Then tell me that if it was you, you would do the same thing," she demanded. " _Tell_ me you would abandon me to return to the Academy alone. Naruto?" She raised an eyebrow at him, and when the blond remained silent, turned to Sasuke. "What about you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke was biting his lip – so hard that the otherwise red flesh around his teeth turned pale – but in the end, Sasuke stayed quiet, as well.

"Good," Sakura huffed. Walking back towards where the lunches were, she picked them up, returned, and sat down in front of them, motioning for the two boys to sit down as well. Opening the bentō boxes and breaking the chopsticks in half, Sakura said, "We look forward, not back, alright? If Kakashi-sensei comes back and threatens us to make our minds up or get angry or whatever, then we're going to _throttle_ him together – show him what true _goddamn_ teamwork means – until he lets us all pass. If he still kicks all our asses, then, we'll break out of the Academy or something-" Taking a mouthful of rice and firmly pushing the lunch into Naruto's hands, who was looking down guiltily, and a pair of chopsticks into Sasuke's, who refused to meet her eyes, she added seriously, "And then we'll burn down Kakashi-sensei's apartment."

Though his head was bowed, Sakura heard Naruto exhale out a little laugh before it grew louder – while Sasuke's lips twitched in amusement. "So eat," she said firmly, grabbing the both boys' ears in each of her hands and turning their heads to face her. "Okay? _Eat_."

Naruto broke out into a grin, and Sasuke slapped her hand away, but both boys regardless began to eat, and while Sakura looked at them with a smile, she noted that Naruto looked about ready to cry and that Sasuke's knuckles were turning white with how hard he was gripping the fabric of his pants with his other hand.

* * *

They passed the test with ease – of course, Sakura had _suspected_ , but hadn't known for sure – and she had sighed with obvious relief when Kakashi appeared before them while all three of them were digging into the lunches, and demanded to know why she had disobeyed him. Naruto, to Sakura's eternal appreciation, had declared instead of her, "Because we're a team, and we're going to pass as one, believe it!"

Sasuke, to her surprise, had nodded beside him, facing Kakashi unflinchingly. "If you try to fail us, we'll attack you at once," he said, and smirking, added, "and this time, we'll win."

Between them, Sakura's smile had been wide enough to split her face right open.

As expected, the display of team spirit had crumbled Kakashi's walls – and he had passed them with flying colours, congratulating them on their newfound teamwork – to which Naruto had looked halfway between jumping in delight and biting the man's leg off, and Sasuke had looked vaguely annoyed, maybe even slightly betrayed.

Still, Sakura thought they seemed to be more than moved when Kakashi spelled out the singular most important rule for all shinobi – "Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

Then, with an order to assemble at nine in the morning at the bridge, Kakashi disappeared, effectively dismissing them – and though more than happy with their new status as genin, Team 7 had split off in their respective directions to their homes with nothing more than a brief smile and a wave, both body and mind exhausted by Kakashi's trials as the sun began to set around them.

Approaching her apartment, Sakura thought that she was, all in all, quite happy with how everything had turned out. Sure, the little deviation of events had more than left her scrambling for balance, and she had realised grimly how even a slight change in her actions could possibly cause everything to come crashing down, making her more than anxious for the future – but Team 7 had passed, hadn't they?

She would be able to train with all of them again, carry out missions again, and talk with them again – and the thought sent a wave of giddiness through her body that she simply couldn't resist. Hopefully, Sakura thought, she had also managed to wedge a place in the team, as well. If before, she had been the one to watch her team fall apart by the seams from the background, then this time, she wanted to be the one to stitch them back together.

Too tired to walk through the front door and answer what would definitely be a cascade of curious questions from her parents about her first day – Sakura quietly leapt up to her windowsill, opening the window and instantly _hurled_ a kunai through her room as she sensed a foreign figure sitting on her bed.

She had thrown the weapon the _moment_ the window had barely been open for it to fit through – but tilting his head slightly to the side, the figure dodged it effortlessly, the weapon hitting the wall solidly behind him. Sakura seriously doubted most normal genin would be that fast, and the thought filled her with dread – it made no sense for anyone foreign to be inside her bedroom to begin with, and her muscles were already more than fatigued from the test-

The figure's identity still hidden in the shadows of her room, Sakura threaded a few more shuriken between her fingers, and immobile on the windowsill, she tensed for a retaliating attack, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

Instead, the figure slowly raised a hand – and waved.

Taken aback, she frowned, and he stood, moving soundlessly across the floor towards her and letting light fall on his features.

She stopped breathing.

"Hello," he said. "Sakura."

* * *

A/N: So there we have it! Obviously we're still in the early stages of building up the story, with me trying to introduce some important plot elements, but I do hope that you enjoyed it nonetheless.

As always, thank you so much for your reviews and support. It's honestly so much more than I expected that I can't really say anything other than that I appreciate all the kind words and that I will try my best in writing each chapter to the fullest.

Please do feel free to leave any comments below. I always love to hear your thoughts.


	4. Little Seeds III

_Lately when I look at Naruto I've been able to feel it...his sadness. And when he thinks of Sasuke there's a heat coming from his gut, and I know that's anger._

* * *

Even bathed in the warm light of the fading sun, he looked like a washed out part of the shadows that he had just surfaced from. Pallid face, black hair neatly cut and if one stepped close enough, the sharp tang of ink – he was shorter, what had been the sharp planes of his face gentler, and the circle of his eyes wider, giving him a look of youthful curiosity about him that she didn't remember – but when he tentatively raised his gaze to hers, there was no mistaking it.

His lips thinning in the way Sakura knew they did when he wanted to smile but wasn't sure if it was appropriate, Sai raised his hand in an uncertain greeting. When she only managed to stare back at him disbelievingly, he offered, "Long time before seeing," but still Sakura couldn't reply, unable to wrap her head around the sheer nonsensical nature of it all – seeing Sai here _,_ now, _younger-_ looking completely out of place in her pink, frilly bedroom.

At her stupefied silence, his eyes flickered away to the side, brows furrowing. "Is this a bad time?" Sai asked, and when he still received no response, his expression faltered, pursing his lips, his eyes slowly turning from tentative to _lost-_

And it was a look that was familiar, she thought, one that when she first saw it, had startled her with the extent of its raw, emotional confusion. It was one that had marred his face when Naruto had nearly lost an arm trying to push him out of the way of a kibakufuda, when she had been elbow-deep in Kakashi's blood during a mission while Naruto trembled by her side, and when Sasuke had finally entered the battlefield during the war and Team 7 had simultaneously, collectively _froze_ – that it broke her out of her stupor and Sakura released a deep, ragged breath that she hadn't known she was holding.

Then she remembered his picture book, buried in a mass of intestines-

" _Sai_ ," she breathed, the word coming out somewhere between a choke and a whisper, and reaching out, she ghosted her hand over his sleeve – and finding it tangible, suppressed a sob and pulled him close – wrapping her arms around his back and hugging him. She could feel his surprised intake of breath, the rise of his arms as they hovered awkwardly around her before finally settling around her shoulders. "You remember me," Sakura said, her mind half-hazy with total confusion and an impossibly warm, soporific feeling threading through her body. Was it relief? Happiness? She didn't know. Wanting to see his face, she pulled back, holding him by the shoulders and unable to turn her eyes away, as if it might all just be a dream and the next moment, he would fade away. "And you're _here_. How? I don't- The jutsu- Did you _return_ , too?"

Sakura was sure she sounded half-mad with her incoherent ramblings, but Sai only smiled at her slightly before moving away and slowly grasping the hem of his shirt, dark and faded, and flipping the fabric over his stomach. When she shot him a questioning look, he wordlessly placed a hand above his heart, and sent out a pulse of chakra – one that rippled across his chest and exploded in a web of black.

Sakura gaped.

Above his heart had materialised a single, thrumming twist of dark ink – and from it, branches and branches of sharp, black lines that extended out and snaked across his abdomen – like ridiculously complicated bindings, contrasting starkly with his pale skin and fading away when they reached waistband of his pants. The penmanship was immaculate, unmistakeable, and most of all, a perfect replica of the seal would span across her own chest if she willed for it to appear. "You-" Sakura swallowed, the words getting lost in her throat, "Tsunade-shishō?"

Sai nodded, letting the shirt fall back down, and his lips quirked upwards. "Your loyal assistant, I believe her words were."

"My loyal-"

 _Are you worried about being alone?_

 _What- I won't be alone, shishō. I'll have Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei and everyone by my sides again, won't I? It can't really get any much better than that._

 _Sakura. You know what I mean._

 _I-_

"Why," Sakura began, then stopped and cleared her throat when her voice came out thick. "Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't _you_?"

She was fighting to maintain her composure, and she knew Sai could tell – because he placed a hand on her shoulder – supposed to be reassuring, she was sure, but one part of Sakura only really wanted to laugh when she found she didn't so much have to crane her head _up_ anymore to meet his eyes-

"Because," Sai said, and somehow, oddly, Sakura thought his voice sounded just about the same, "if you knew that I was involved, you would not have chosen to perform the jutsu. Am I wrong? You would never have done it, if you knew you would be forcibly sending _me_ back, too."

Her breath caught. "I-I thought, Sai, I saw your picture book-" she said desperately, her mind whirling, and Sai's eyes seemed to soften, a sad sort of adultness about him that clashed terribly with his boyish face, and she wondered, did _she_ look like that, too?

"I'd lost it in battle," Sai said, slipping his hand off of her shoulder. "Not terribly practical to carry around, but I think that might be called sentimentality." Finally, he added. "So no, I was not dead. I was alive, I believe."

"You were alive," Sakura repeated, her gaze falling to her feet and she instinctively winced at the feeling of a heavy weight dropping into her stomach, cutting off her breath. _Sai was alive, and I-_

"Sakura," Sai said, with a new sense of urgency, and his hand was back on her arm. "I do not blame you. Neither do I think you shouldn't have done it. I don't know what you found that you decided to activate the jutsu – but the situation on my side was not ideal, either. I was with Yamato-senpai and Tenten, and they, too-" His grip tightened. "You made the right choice."

She slowly raised her head, and Sai was frowning at her, the line of his mouth flat and a familiar, stern slant about his dark eyes – one that he always got when he knew he said something that hit close to home, but Sakura kept pretending he was wrong anyway – _What do you know about emotions, Sai?_

 _Enough, apparently,_ Sakura thought, huffing out a small laugh and placing her hand over his. She had always hated Sai for his uncanny ability of being able to see through her,but this time it made her want bury her face in his shoulder and _cry_ – because while she had come back in time and _rejoiced_ at being able to see Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi all on the same side, on _her_ side – she had still been secretly disappointed at the way they looked at her, which was, at its core, empty, vaguely curious and _unfamiliar_ , like they didn't _know_ her-

Which was expected, of course, but it still _hurt_ , and seeing Sai again, with even with that annoying, piercing look on his face, felt like an anchor to her feet, grounding her in their shared past and supporting her from the crushing weight of the knowing the future and being responsible for making a _better_ one, telling her that she wasn't as _alone_ in this as much as she had thought she was-

Trying to keep her voice from choking, Sakura grinned at him. "Thanks, Sai," she said, blinking back her tears. "Despite everything, I'm glad you're with me."

"I do hope you are," Sai replied, and he also cracked a smile. "Who do you think carried you to the hospital when you fainted from the jutsu? You were _heavy_ , Sakura."

* * *

"Sakura-chan! Can you pick that up for me?"

Sakura looked up exasperatedly as Naruto motioned towards a yet _another_ dropped wooden beam, before abandoning the timber plank she had been sawing, and approaching it with a sigh. Sasuke seemed equally annoyed as he let go of his own saw, pushing his sweaty hair out of his face as he walked over towards her. He grabbed onto the other end of the shaft, and lifting it up, the two of them pushed it back towards Naruto, who was waiting with his hands held out near the top of the half-finished shed.

"Naruto, be careful with them, would you?" She called out at the same time Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Their first official D-rank mission, to build the roof of a farm machinery shed – she had expected it, but clearly Naruto and Sasuke hadn't, and when they had assembled this morning at the bridge for Kakashi to hand them a choice of either capturing a lady's lost cat, or reconstructing an outhouse, Naruto had jumped up indignantly while Sasuke had scowled disapprovingly beside her.

 _Are you telling me we passed that cruel, cruel test yesterday – just to catch a cat?_ Naruto had demanded, and Kakashi had only shrugged noncommittally – _It's procedure, Naruto. All genin start out with a slew of D-ranks._

Obviously, they had selected the latter – which put them working mercilessly under the hot sun for longer than three hours now, endlessly moving heavy beams and planks while Kakashi lazed under the shade of a tree with his face buried in his novel.

"Can you possibly try _not_ to drop each one?" Sasuke said as Naruto took the wood from them, the blond balancing precariously on the walls and looking like he was about to kick off a whole another row of timber that he had just nailed down.

Naruto made a face at him. "Why, you bastard- I'm doing my best-"

Sakura gave Sasuke a sideways look. "Do you want to swap places with him again? Or maybe I could go up there this time-"

"What- No, Sakura-chan, I can do this-" Naruto gritted out, stumbling under the heavy weight of the pole.

"Naruto, stop trying to lift it upright. Just put it on the top of the others, and then you can push it in place," Sakura instructed, concern furrowing her brows while Sasuke scoffed beside her and said, "Right, because you're obviously _doing_ it so well now."

Following Sakura's advice and slotting the beam in its place, although horribly askew – Naruto turned away from the wood and looked down at Sasuke with a scowl. "Damn it, bastard, or maybe you could _help_ instead of yapping away at me like that-"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow before smoothly leaping up onto the roof himself and pointedly pushing the beam straight with his foot. "Just in case you forgot already, I _used_ to be up here. But you couldn't even lift the beams up to me without constantly dropping them on your feet-"

Turning away from the pair, Sakura sighed for what felt like the nth time, impatiently blowing a stray strand out of her eyes. It was blazing hot, she was dripping with sweat, her hair was sticking everywhere, the shed was nowhere close to finishing, and as Naruto and Sasuke degenerated into another fight, Sakura considered grabbing both of their heads and smashing them together in the hopes of shutting them up.

The bell test had definitely engraved in them the notion of teamwork, Sasuke automatically handing out their roles when they arrived at the scene to a pile of wood and a blueprint, and Naruto accepting them without complaint, although looking slightly unhappy with Sasuke taking the lead, but it was clear that it hadn't improved their personal relationship at all. They bickered at every chance they got, Sasuke never failing to miss an opportunity to make a scathing remark at each display of Naruto's stupidity, and Naruto never failing to respond with anything less than an indignant shout.

While Kakashi had taken the role of stopping the two from fighting in her past, perhaps due to her performance at the bell test, he seemed to have delegated the responsibility to _her_ this time – only turning to her expectantly whenever the two looked close to ripping each other's throat out.

As if she had the mental capacity for that, Sakura thought to herself, already finding her head aching from their argument. She had enough things on her plate already – with the appearance of Sai had come relief and comfort of having someone to share her mission with whom she trusted, and was close to – but it also brought her a milieu of concerns that she had never even thought about before.

When Sakura had questioned Sai on what he planned to do now, hoping she could have him around for a while to discuss their course of action, he had shaken his head, saying, _I have things to do, unfortunately._

 _Root?_ She had asked, and he had nodded, looking forlorn.

 _I am already a full-fledged member, and so I have missions to carry out. It will take me less time, since I have already completed them all before-_ He had seemed reluctant to say the next words, biting his lip. _But I will still be busy. Most likely, it will be hard for me to come visit you often, or stay with you for extended lengths of time-_

Although disappointed, she had nodded quickly. Sakura knew what darkness Root entailed of, having heard enough tales of death and assassinations and torture, and having seen Yamato sometimes staring vacantly into the air for hours at a time, or Sai, in the middle of unfinished paintings strewn about his apartment, the papers full of harsh slashes and his eyes wild.

It was one thing to have Sai repeat the experience on her volition. She didn't want to add onto what weight he must already be carrying. _It's okay, I understand,_ she had said, and Sai looked at her apologetically. _What will you do now, Sakura?_

 _We leave on a mission to Wave soon. It'll last around a week. And then, the Chūnin Exams. We have to find a way to stop Orochimaru, or at least protect Sasuke from him._

Sai had nodded. _I will aid you however I can. If I can. I'm not exactly supposed to be having external human contact, so you won't be able to call on me, but I will come see you when I can._

Then he had hesitated, his eyes flicking down onto the floor before rising up again to her face, his fingers twitching at his sides.

 _Sai_? She had frowned, reaching out. _What's wrong_?

But Sai had flinched away, leaving her hand hovering in the air and her concern to grow. _Sakura, I-I am on your side. My priority is to save Sasuke, as well. You have to know that._

 _Sai? I do know that. Why-_

Taking a ragged breath, Sai hadn't been able to look her in the eyes as he spoke. _But you also have to understand. If Sasuke stays in Team 7, then you won't need another member, and I- I won't be able to- You or Naruto won't-_

It had hit her like a ton of bricks, and it was a thought that hadn't left her even long after Sai had leapt down from her window with a promise to see her soon and disappeared into the night. _If Sasuke stays with us,_ Sakura thought, _then Sai-_ She wouldn't give Sasuke up for anything, she knew that much, she would gladly give her life for him and more, but Sai had stuck with her through all sorts of thick and thin in her past, and she didn't want him to suffer alone, either-

" _Sakura-chan_!"

A shout bursting through her reverie, Sakura's head snapped up. On the roof, she saw Naruto, blue eyes full of panic, hand extended towards her desperately, pointing to the pool of shadow growing at her feet-

She briefly caught a glimpse of Sasuke leaping down from the roofs, his own dark eyes wide, mouth shaping her name, before she directly looked above her to see a giant square of timber hurtling towards her, _damn it, Naruto_ , _I knew you would kick it off_ -

She felt Kakashi immediately appear behind her with a small puff of air, stretching out his arms, no doubt preparing to hurl the wood away before it hit her head – but Sakura had already instinctively raised her hand – and she bit her lip as her fist hit the plank before Kakashi could catch it, instantly shattering it into pieces that hovered uncertainly in the air before cascading around them in a shower of debris.

The moment she had punched the wood she had seen Kakashi stiffen, while Sasuke skidded to a stop beside them, batting away at the flying wooden shards, and she wanted to bury her face in her hands with a groan. She knew Kakashi would eventually find out about her superhuman strength sooner or later – but she had wanted to go about it gradually; striking him with surprises so soon after one another wasn't exactly on her to-do list. If he hadn't been suspicious of her at her claim to be able to perform medical ninjutsu, then he surely would be _now_ -

But before Kakashi could say anything, Naruto had jumped down from the wall and was sprinting madly towards her, frantically shouting her name. "Sakura-chan! Holy crap, Sakura-chan, I am so sorry- It was an accident- Are you _okay_? I mean, you _smashed_ that, but I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"

He was rudely cut off by Sasuke, who had moved to kick him in the back of his head, sending him sprawling onto the ground. "Ow, bastard!" Naruto yelled, struggling to rise and holding his head in his hands, "What was that f-"

"What was that _for_?" To her surprise, Sasuke sounded positively murderous. "Are you _kidding_ me?"

It seemed to hit the mark, and Naruto promptly quietened, his face settling into an expression of guilt again. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I really am. I didn't mean to, but the bastard was picking a fight, and I-"

Sakura was about to reassure him when Kakashi stepped in, his voice flinty. "It seems like you two have already forgotten about what happened yesterday," he said, and Naruto immediately recoiled, looking ashamed, while Sasuke turned away irritably, a broken piece of timber crunching underneath his sandal. "There's an extent to which you can indulge in childish fights. You're clearly letting it get in the way of the mission, not to mention you put Sakura in danger."

"I'm really sorry, Sakura-chan," Naruto said again, and she shook her head.

"It's fine, Naruto. I'm okay, so no harm done, right?"

Naruto started to smile at her until he caught sight of Sasuke's withering look, deflating glumly again.

Sakura frowned disapprovingly at Sasuke, but when he turned back towards her, he seemed to ignore her unspoken reprimand, asking her instead. "You broke the plank. How did you do it?"

She had expected the question, but still she hesitated, reluctant to reveal the answer, and Kakashi cut in smoothly beside her. "Actually, I would like to know that as well," he said, looking down at her pointedly. "That was beyond what would be constituted as acceptable raw strength."

Beside Naruto, whose shoulders were slumped, Sasuke was also eyeing her carefully – no doubt remembering the bell test when she had broken him out of the ground – and waiting for an explanation. Once, she had dreamt of receiving this kind of attention from her teammates, the looks of awe and open curiosity on their faces, but standing under her teammates' scrutiny, Sakura found that she wanted nothing less than to escape.

"Well," she said, rubbing at her neck. "It's something that I read about in the books – that if you focus chakra in a specific point of your body, and release it, then it can enhance your strength. Since I'm not that strong, I thought that was a pretty good idea and started training…" She trailed off, shooting Kakashi's a cautious glance, to see if he looked appeased. To her dismay, Kakashi had turned away and she was left staring up at the side of his face that was completed covered by his mask and hitai-ate.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't that take an immense amount of chakra control?" He asked, while Naruto appeared to be completely lost.

"Yes," Kakashi replied, but he still refused to look at her. "While I wouldn't say it's _unprecedented,_ it's certainly impressive."

Sasuke opened his mouth again, no doubt to ask more questions, but Kakashi thankfully seemed to want to forgo any detailed discussion, ad cut him off with a raise of his hand. "All this admiring of Sakura's strength is great, but we really need to get back to that, don't you think?" He motioned towards the shed, which was again, lacking a roof – Naruto having decimated hours of their efforts. "You won't be able to go home until you finish, so you better stop fighting and hurry up."

Sakura inwardly exhaled in relief, while Sasuke appeared to reluctantly swallow back his words, and settled on glaring furiously at Naruto, who had already escaped towards the shed. "Get down!" Sasuke snarled at him. "I'm taking the roof."

* * *

When they finished building the shed, the sun was starting to set, and the three sat on the ground, panting while Kakashi nodded at their efforts and dismissed them, saying, "Same time. Tomorrow."

Naruto and Sasuke had barely spoken to one another during the whole afternoon, Naruto flitting around her guiltily while Sasuke acted like the two of the may not as well as exist when he wasn't giving them directions. Even now, on the ground between her teammates, Naruto on her one side, and Sasuke on the other – Sakura wasn't sure what to think. The two of them had never been on the best of terms in their genin days, bickering left and right all day – but this time, it felt different, the cold looks Sasuke gave Naruto more exasperated than challenging, and Naruto's reactions more genuinely embittered rather than simply annoyed.

As she thought back to when Naruto had inadvertently pushed off the plank of wood from the roof, the horrified expression on his face and Sasuke's frustrated one, gritting his teeth, knowing he wouldn't be able to reach her in time – she couldn't help but be reminded of her own uselessness in her past. How many times had _she_ been the one to place them in danger? How many times had she fumbled with a kunai wrong, hadn't been quick enough to step in Naruto or Sasuke's undefended side, had waited for them to come save _her_?

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto sneak a glance at her, then hurriedly turn away, and she felt an odd pang go through her heart. She had only wanted to establish a place between them, show them that she could be depended on, but she felt as though in her efforts, she had unintentionally instead pushed Naruto into her previous place of being the inferior one; making him feel as though he was the one who got in the way, the one who ruined everything. Perhaps she was over-analysing things – they hadn't even _fought_ anyone yet, for God's sakes, and a small accident during a mission was practically nothing – but when it came to Naruto, she didn't want to take any risks.

Reaching out a hand, she placed it over Naruto's, and when his gaze snapped to hers uncertainly, she smiled. "Naruto," she said gently. "You haven't looked at me in the eyes once this afternoon. What's wrong?"

His fingers hesitantly curling against hers, he bit his lip. It was a look that pained her – in her memory, Naruto was _blinding_ – first for his exuberance and recklessness, and then his bravery, the sense of camaraderie – never uncertainty or this, this- _anxiety_. "I put you in danger, Sakura-chan," he said.

"And I'm okay, Naruto." Balling her other hand into a fist, she raised it. "It was an accident, and I'm not made out of glass. Did you even _see_ me break that huge piece of wood? I'll come out fine every time. So stop beating yourself over it." When he still looked unsure, Sakura let go of Naruto's hand and folded both of her hands on his face, pinching his cheeks with her fingers and stretching his whiskers. "We're shinobi, right, Naruto? Sometimes things happen; we get in danger, that's _normal_. What you should be doing now is going back to smiling and bouncing about, Naruto. Not sad, okay?"

Eyes squinting from pain, or from appreciation of her words, she didn't know – but Naruto nodded. "You're right, Sakura-chan. Sorry, I'll perk up," he grinned, jumping up. "On that note, want to go to Ichiraku's together? I'm _starving."_

Behind her, she heard Sasuke scoff derisively, and by the stiffening of Naruto's face, she was sure that he had, too – but to his credit, he didn't lash out at Sasuke, and only looked at her expectantly.

"Sorry, Naruto," she smiled apologetically. "I need to talk to Sasuke about something. Let's go tomorrow?"

By the falling of his expression, Naruto seemed to be disappointed, even slightly betrayed that Sakura had chosen Sasuke's company, but he nonetheless turned away with a bright wave. "Okay, then. See you tomorrow, Sakura-chan!"

When Naruto had disappeared out of view, Sakura released a breath, and feeling Sasuke's curiosity pulse behind her, she turned, fixing him with a cross look.

* * *

Stalking through the streets, Naruto frowned at himself.

He had been disappointed enough when he had come to the bridge this morning to find that he had been assigned to some stupid, uncool _construction_ mission, thinking vehemently, _I'm above this, where are the heroic missions?_ – but what did he know, he had managed to screw _that_ up, too.

He remembered the moment vividly, when he had _felt_ his foot press against the row of wood, _felt_ it shift uneasily – he hadn't nailed it down right, and Sasuke's voice, annoyingly know-it-all came back to him – _Nail it down properly, Dobe, alright?_ – but in his anger towards Sasuke, who had been looking at him like Naruto was lower than his shoe – he hadn't been able to catch himself as he lunged at him, pushing off from the plank of wood and sending it careening off the roof. He had instantly frozen, horrified, then scrambled to the edge, to see the enormity of it falling _onto_ Sakura's head, while her eyes widened-

Sasuke had immediately leapt off the roof, darting towards her, and Kakashi-sensei had moved behind her before Naruto could even blink, and most of all, Sakura had _blasted_ the wood apart with her bare fingers – all the while he stood paralysed on the shed, looking down helplessly.

Feeling his hands curl into fists, Naruto gritted his teeth.

Sakura had been nice to him, _more_ than nice – smiled at him, had been the first to reach out to her, ask to be his friend, _let's try our best, yeah?_ – but he hadn't managed to help her back _once_ , stuffed up in the bell test, stuffed up trying to nail one goddamn piece of wood, and as if that wasn't enough he kept needing her to _reassure_ him _-_

And _Sasuke_ – he was a bastard, there was no doubt about it. He always looked at Naruto like he was somehow _inferior_ , responding with insults and sarcasm even when Naruto tried to reach out to him. If Sasuke hadn't kept acting like such a bastard, hadn't kept picking a fight with him – then he wouldn't have lashed back out, either – _he_ had started it, in the bell test, and this time, too, _damn_ it-

Naruto sighed, stopping and running a hand over his face. What the hell, he didn't want to think about this – Kakashi-sensei had told them to all work together, hadn't he? And Sakura had tried to stop them from fighting so many times. They were a team, weren't they? Who was he _really_ mad at?

A bowel of ramen or three would definitely help, Naruto thought, swerved left into Ichiraku's street – when his shoulder suddenly crashed against another guy's, and Naruto felt himself losing his balance, putting out his hand to soften his fall – when the boy grabbed his jumpsuit, leaving him suspended mid-air. Naruto was about to breathe out a word of thanks when he felt the boy lean in, and mutter close to his ear, "Be careful, dickless."

Immediately scowling at the insult, Naruto was about to rise up, and turn on the boy indignantly, when suddenly he felt the world distinctly _tilt_ on its axis, the air rushing out of him – and Naruto heard himself – no, not _himself_ , a deeper voice – _You'll never replace Sasuke, you hear me? You will never fit in Team 7._ Then, another, a low, flat voice, a brief image of pasty skin and blank eyes – _Why are you still so attached to a traitor?_

Then, a white-hot emotion of pure displeasure, one that sparked up his spine and spread to the tips of his fingers, and reeling in total disorientation, Naruto instinctively pushed against the boy, feeling his hand slam hard against his chest. Naruto felt the boy's grip on his clothes loosen as he let out a surprised, pained breath, and Naruto consequently went crashing against the ground.

The pain broke him out of the daze, somewhat, and as Naruto struggled up, his chest and palms where he hit the ground aching, the feeling of anger only a warm fog at the back of his mind – he turned, about to apologise, or more like, ask _what the hell that was-_

But there was no one behind him, and when Naruto scrambled up and found himself scanning the crowds for a thin boy with pale, pale skin and black hair, he couldn't explain why.

* * *

Sasuke only raised a questioning eyebrow at her look, which was obviously radiating disapproval. "What?"

"Nothing," Sakura snapped, then softened marginally. Sasuke didn't deserve her frustration, she knew that – however she might feel that their team dynamics had changed, Sakura knew she was the one and only one responsible for it. If she was completely honest, she still had faith in Naruto and Sasuke's potential to be friends, God knew they had been enough of that in the past – it was just difficult to imagine the two not developing at least some kind of comradeship. But it was still one of her aims to further strengthen Team 7's bonds – this time, enough for Sasuke to think that he could truly find a home in them – and such an obvious friction in the team did make her more than anxious.

She blew out a breath. "I thought you would want to talk to me," Sakura said. When Sasuke's eyebrow rose a little higher, she added, "but I do have something to say, now that you mention it." She sent him a pleading, exasperated look. "Can't you at least _try_ to get along with Naruto?"

Sasuke scoffed, turning his gaze to his side, and if Sasuke had been anyone else but Sasuke, Sakura thought that he might have looked a little frustrated, if not disappointed. "No," he said, and at Sakura's answering scowl, continued, "You do know that you're babying him, don't you?"

Sakura's first instinct was, to say, _Well, he is only a child – he's what, six, seven years younger than me, now? –_ but clearing the thought away, she said, "I'm just being a good friend."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Well, he's going to get complacent. Then he'll get even _more_ useless than he is now."

"He's our teammate, Sasuke."

He stayed silent at that, no doubt remembering Kakashi's bell test, and his dark eyes rose to match her gaze evenly before he said, "Spar with me."

Sakura looked at him incredulously, taken off guard at the sudden change of topic. " _What?"_

Sasuke shrugged. "Your strength. I've never seen anything like it before. Not with bare hands, anyway."

"So you want to _fight_ me?"

The line of his mouth was sharp as he replied, "That's what we do, isn't it?"

Sakura broke out in a laugh, feeling more astonished than she had ever been since she came back in time. In the past, Sasuke had never deigned to even _reply_ to her, and now, a little show of strength, and Sasuke had not only suddenly grown talkative, but wanted to _spar_ with her? A small wave of childish bitterness arose within her before she stamped it down with cold logic, _but you were only chasing him back then,_ she thought _. Obsessing over him, not caring about training nor teamwork. This is different. You decided to face him properly this time, right?_

"Sure," she said, and Sasuke looked surprised at her easy agreement. "But I have a condition. I want us to train together, from now on."

It was Sasuke's turn to scowl, suspicion seeping into his posture as he sat up a little straighter before her.

"I don't have any ulterior motives, Sasuke," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "I just thought it would be a good idea. You were the best student in our class in the Academy, you're strong and smart, and most importantly you're my _teammate_ now- and I want to improve. Is it so wrong for me to want to train with you? It doesn't have to be every day – just once in a few days or something."

The furrow between his brows didn't ease up, hell, Sakura knew years of fangirling wouldn't simply go evaporate in the air – and she had almost readied herself for a rejection, when Sasuke nodded. "If I find the spar worthwhile," he said, "I'll consider it."

Sakura felt a corner of her lips rise up into a challenging grin. "You're on, Sasuke."

The sky had begun to colour orange, but it would be a while until it become fully dark, and noting the time, Sasuke made a move to stand. "Let's get to it, then." He soon lost his balance, however, and nearly fell when Sakura quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him down onto the ground again. "What-" he started in annoyance, and Sakura cut him off.

"Not now, we're not." Then she pointed at his left leg, where training bandages were wound up to his calves, and if one looked closer, a dark, matted streak of blood marred the white fabric right over his ankle, which had been hidden out of view while he had been sitting. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

He looked disconcerted at the fact she had been so attentive, but he soon frowned. "It's not-"

"Oh, yes, it is," she said, and swiping her hand swiftly at his leg, she effortlessly pulled him by the ankle towards her, adding a little chakra to her fingers when Sasuke resisted, clamping down on the urge to laugh when Sasuke made an expression that was _beyond_ indignant, _furious_ , even-

Young Sasuke sure had been awfully cute, Sakura thought, hadn't he?

"What the-" Sasuke growled, swatting futilely at her hand. "Sakura, stop it! What-"

When his foot was comfortably on her lap and Sasuke looked halfway between burying his face in his hands and running Sakura through with a kunai, she unravelled the layers and layers of bandages around his ankle, the movements of her fingers quick and efficient. Once she had peeled off all of the fabric, she scowled at the damage, tutting her tongue. The puncture wound wasn't large, but quite deep, and the skin around it was torn into roughly, the edges of the injury jagged – and Sakura vaguely remembered the serrated wooden chips that she had smashed the block of timber into hurtling towards Sasuke, who had only stopped a short distance from her in incredulity at her feat of strength.

Sitting up, Sasuke was glaring fiercely at her, but Sakura still had his ankle in a firm grasp, and she looked at him with a deep frown. "This is from this afternoon, isn't it? Why didn't you say anything?"

Sasuke scoffed, turning his face away. "And what? It's not a big deal, and we had to complete the mission."

"It may not be a big deal now," she said, lightly poking the wound, noting with approval that Sasuke had clearly wound his bandages firmly around his ankle to stop the bleeding, and Sasuke winced slightly. "but it _is_ deep, and it could get infected if you leave it untreated for long. What were you going to do then?"

Sasuke didn't reply, looking sullen, and breathing out a sigh, Sakura lightly placed her palm over the injury, and pushed out healing chakra, inwardly sighing when it came seamlessly to her. Sasuke noticeably jumped when its green tendrils washed over his ankle – though healing chakra was meant to be soothing, she knew that the feeling of another person's chakra probing into one's body wasn't exactly an easy experience to get used to, especially if unwarned. "What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, his body tense.

"Healing you," she said succinctly, frowning. The wound was definitely much, much less than what she had healed in the past, but still she could _feel_ her chakra draining out of her as she stitched the skin together. In her past she had been talented enough to almost overlook it, but healing another person's body took much more effort and concentration than healing her own, and though she had tested her limits the night before the bell tests, and had been reasonably satisfied – it seemed like she would need much more practice in medical ninjutsu before she could heal her teammates without the fear of using up too much chakra.

" _Healing_ me?" Sasuke repeated incredulously, and leaned closer, trying to get a better look at her hands. "Medical-ninjutsu?" He frowned. "But we didn't learn anything like that at the Academy-"

Looking back up from the wound, she gave him a quick smile. "I learned from my aunt," she said, and feeling the wound close up fully underneath her hand, slapped his leg lightly before letting go. "There you go."

Sasuke looked at the smooth, flawless skin with no little amount of disbelief, his eyebrows high on his face, and Sakura cracked a smile to herself. No matter what age she was, it seemed, impressing Sasuke was most certainly one of the best feelings in the world.

"You said you used your chakra to enhance your strength. And now this…" He trailed off, eyes narrowing. "Where did you learn how to control your chakra? You never showed your abilities in the Academy."

The rest of his words, _And you were never an impressive ninja, even in class_ , went unspoken, and Sakura looked at Sasuke with a strange feeling brewing in her chest. In her past, Sasuke had never even commented on her abilities, which had undoubtedly, enormously improved, but still paled terribly in comparison to himself or Naruto – and this felt like an acknowledgement that she had never received from the person she had wanted to receive from the most.

She smiled, and retracted it immediately when even she could tell that it only came out as a sad curve of her lips. "That's true," she said. "It's just…I guess I wanted to catch up to someone, so I've been training really hard recently." At her words, Sasuke furrowed his brows, but didn't say anything, and she took it as a silent invitation to continue. "There are some people that have been walking in front of me for a very, very long time now – and I've always wanted to catch up to them. But no matter hard I tried, I couldn't, and I'd decided to give up." She took a breath. "I suppose I've decided to re-kindle my efforts, now."

Sasuke remained motionless, his face reorganising itself into something that Sakura couldn't quite read – perhaps a flicker of surprise, familiarity – sadness? But it all quickly disappeared as he seemed to literally wash the emotions off of his being. "That still doesn't explain how quickly you improved," he pressed.

"Natural aptitude?" She joked, and laughed at the scowl that twisted his mouth. "It comes with a lot of training," she reassured him. "I've been slaving away behind the scenes!"

In Sakura's memories, her interactions with Sasuke had mostly consisted of her talking _at_ him rather than _with_ him, but still she had been more than appeased because she understood that what Sasuke didn't say in words he said through his actions. He hadn't graced her with friendly greetings or smiles, but he had reflexively jumped in front of her when an enemy appeared, and he had carried her away to safety, and he had asked her who hurt her during the Chūnin Exams. She had fallen in love with that very Sasuke who had been usually hidden behind his rough exterior which was marred with grief and coldness, who occasionally came out when Naruto said something exceptionally stupid and he had to crack a smile, or when he finally managed to scale a tree and he looked down at himself in satisfaction, or when he would scowl and complain when Naruto and Sakura dragged him to Ichiraku's, but he would still follow them grudgingly.

He had given her so many things, she mused. But she hadn't given anything in return except for her love. At one point in time, when she believed in a world where two people could lock eyes in a crowded room and instantly fall in love, she had honestly and truly thought that that would be enough. That Sasuke would one day wake up to see her love, see that she was _there_ , and somehow reciprocate.

But now she realised that perhaps, what Sasuke had needed wasn't love, not exactly. She had never truly understood Sasuke's need for revenge, the vast hatred that simmered inside him, because she had a family, she had friends, and she had never, not yet, experienced any real loss – in a way, her love had been too small a pillar for him to rest on amidst the rising waves of his sadness.

This time, however, she wanted to rise up to be a wall both high and thick enough to meet and support the weight of his anger, and his sadness.

Standing up, she held out a hand towards Sasuke. "I'd say we have around an hour or so until it becomes completely dark. Do you want to try sparring now?"

Sasuke raised a lean, dark eyebrow. "Now? Didn't healing take a lot of chakra?"

Sakura scoffed, then grinned playfully. "I still have enough to take _you_ on, Uchiha."

While Sakura smirked down at him with her hand outstretched, Sasuke vaguely wondered why it was that whenever he blinked, he would see an image of a longer-haired, dress-wearing Sakura frantically reaching out towards him with tear tracks running down her face, flickering and superimposed on the Sakura that was looking expectantly at him, like a cruel, on-and-off comparison.

Trying to shake it away, Sasuke stood up without taking her hand. "If you say so," he said. "Sakura."

* * *

Haruno Mebuki sat at the dining table, idly tapping a finger against the wooden surface as she watched the sky slowly begin to darken. Soon enough, in around an hour or so it would be time for dinner, and she wondered with a sigh if she would be spending it alone again today.

It had only been a couple of days since Sakura had become genin, making Mebuki immensely proud, but since then her daughter barely seemed to even show her face around at home anymore – waking up at outrageous times to leave for 'training' and coming back home just as late. Mebuki knew that being a shinobi was hard business – the level of risk that came with the job enough to blow the roof off of a house, and one needing to train almost every minute of their life to make sure that they would come back alive from the next mission.

Mebuki loved her village without doubt, loved the people, loved her Kage – but while she wanted to do all she could do for it, she had also always wanted to have a family, to have a husband and children and to settle down and live to see, perhaps, grandchildren of her own. It had been a great part of her reasons for deciding to opt out from becoming higher-level ninja even as her peers progressed in their ranks. She enjoyed her current life, carrying out not too terribly dangerous nor important missions, but helping around her village and making sure its dealings ran smoothly, and she had even been lucky enough to meet a man who shared her outlook.

Which was why Mebuki hadn't been terribly keen when Sakura had told her she wanted to be a kunoichi – and although in the beginnings of her education Sakura had appeared to put more value in this _Sasuke-kun_ than her ninja abilities, it seemed now, she was taking being a shinobi much more seriously. Mebuki didn't want to stop her daughter from chasing her dreams – no matter how much it may clash with her own ideals, but with her husband on an escorting mission to Tea, Mebuki had been spending more time alone at her house than ever, and frankly, it made her a little lonely.

Not to mention Sakura had grown terribly reserved upon her graduation. Before, she would chatter around the house endlessly, but now she went upstairs to her room almost immediately upon returning home after a quick smile and brief conversation.

It wouldn't have hurt for her to tell her how her first day had been, Mebuki thought glumly. Or about her teammates, or how she felt about her missions as a genin. But Sakura had looked so tired lately, a lost, faraway look flitting through her eyes as if her mind was someplace else even if her body was here – and she hadn't exactly wanted to overwhelm her.

Pursing her lips, Mebuki sighed as she stood up, moving towards the kitchen to prepare dinner – even if Sakura didn't come home, she would not skip out on her duties as a mother – when a sharp knock echoed through the house, loud and measured on her front door.

"Coming!" She called out, and began making her way to the doorway – it wasn't Sakura or Kizashi, as they wouldn't knock – perhaps it was one of her friends?

But when she swung the door open, she came face-to-face with a tall, silver-haired man, donning a mask and wearing his hitai-ate in the way that only his eye was revealed, the flak vest and the perpetually tense way he held himself immediately identifying him to her as a jōnin. She spent a moment staring at him blankly, slightly put off by his unorthodox appearance and trying to garner a purpose for a high-ranking ninja like him to visit.

Before she could say anything, however, the man smiled. "Hello," he said, "My name is Hatake Kakashi."

* * *

A/N: I refuse to think of this chapter as a filler, even though it sure felt like one while I wrote it. Still, the plot is gradually, progressively thickening, and I want to spend plenty of time exploring the Team 7 dynamics now that Sakura's role has changed. Hopefully everything will become much more clearer and more exciting as the story progresses. On that note, it will be off to Waves in the next chapter!

Again, thank you very much for your support. Every review made me ecstatic and left me grinning ear-to-ear as I read them.

[Also, because your reviews have been so encouraging and a pleasure to read (as they always are), I thought it might be a good idea to respond to some particularly insightful ones/questions. An uninterested reader can skip right to the end and maybe leave your own comment.

Forest.N: That is true, isn't it? Sakura's role is quite minimal in canon, and while I wouldn't say that her role is purposeless – I do think that if some things had progressed differently, Sakura might have had a larger role. Still, canon story largely focuses on Naruto and Sasuke's relationship, so I suppose that's just how it turned out. I'm glad that you liked my interpreted version of Sakura. I think an important thing to consider is that in this setting, Sakura is mentally years older than the rest of her peers, so her insight should be much deeper, as well.

\+ Thank you to Kae for a similar comment C:

TheSunSailor: There will definitely be Sakura and Sasuke pairing in this story, however, it will progress step by step, so I'm afraid they won't be jumping each other any time soon, or anything haha.

Limlora: It seems like you use English fantastically, so I honestly don't think you have to worry about misunderstanding anything. Last chapter _was_ supposed to leave it ambiguous as to why Kakashi saw and older Sakura. But judging from this chapter, it doesn't seem to be only Kakashi, does it?

Alexxya: Haha, you totally caught me in that one. I'd taken care to make sure that Naruto says "Sakura-chan" when talking to her, but even I didn't realise that in one conversation Naruto had with Sasuke, he only called her "Sakura"!

Also, thank you to those who said they enjoyed the variation of the bell tests – Elguardiuz, and many others who also reviewed C:]

Please leave your thoughts below!


	5. Little Seeds IV

It was no secret that Sai held no love for Sasuke.

In fact, Sai almost abhorred him – felt a cold pang of disgust run through him whenever he thought of the Uchiha, all blood eyes and lightning blades. At first, it had only been a mild sort of curiosity, spurred by Team 7's adamant defences that flew up like walls at every disparaging mention of Sasuke's name – how could one so filled with so much hate inspire so much love? – but then Team 7 had gone off and grown on him and Sai had suddenly found himself turning hateful at the mention of the last Uchiha's name.

Hate him for all the pain he forced Naruto to endure; hate him for the all the tears he made Sakura shed; hate him for adding onto the heavy weight of guilt that already lay on Kakashi's back.

 _Traitor._

Hate him for stepping on and ruining the very smiles Sai wanted to receive. Hate him for being the one that Team 7 probably wished to see instead of him whenever they looked at Sai.

 _If I were you, Sasuke-kun, I would not have left them._

The only thing that dulled his hate had been ironically, Team 7 itself – how Naruto seemed to trust Sasuke irrevocably even after betrayal upon betrayal, how Sakura loved Sasuke enough to be willing to carry the weight of killing him which would have undoubtedly crushed her instantly. It was from seeing Team 7 that Sai had decided he would also do everything in his power to help bring Sasuke back if it would make them happy again, no matter his own personal feelings towards the Uchiha.

But it also had made him wonder just what kind of boy Sasuke must have been in his youth, to gain such staunch allies, to be showered with such loyal, loving friendships when he practically spat in their faces, and when Sakura had determinedly told him, _Our priority is to prevent Sasuke's defection_ – Sai had wanted to ask her, _If I saw Sasuke now, could I become friends with him? Would I love him, as you and Naruto do?_

Now, looking down at the training grounds, Sakura on one end and a dark-haired, dark-eyed boy on the other, the Uchiha fan bright and proud against his back – Sai didn't know what to think.

He was smaller, much, _much_ smaller that he remembered, the planes of his face rounder and childish. And it was almost _strange_ to see his eyes – wide, and sharp but not yet _cold_ – not yet bleeding, not yet spinning with the kaleidoscopic lines of the Mangekyō, starkly contrasting against his pale skin.

He stood with his posture perfect, incomparably poised for his age, the line of his mouth unmarred by the perpetual curve of careless vitality most children seemed to have, but the way his shoulders were tightly coiled even in a neutral stance easily distinguished him as a rookie. Too defensive, as if he had something to prove – still not comfortable with himself, not entirely, and the way he gripped his kunai, slightly too close to the blade for a completely perfect throw – spoke of his inexperience.

Sai let out a slow exhale. Sasuke looked like a normal boy, a peculiar combination of adult-like grimness and child-like pride, but still a _boy_ – and again, Sai didn't know what thought he should be accompanying with that observation. He looked like a normal boy that Team 7 might encounter on one of their missions, who Sakura might coo endlessly over, who Naruto might offer to show his _Oiroke no Jutsu_ , and who Kakashi might smile knowingly at when he came a little too close to looking at his little orange book over his shoulder.

Sai wanted to say that this wasn't exactly what he had been expecting, but what _had_ he been expecting? The aura of a murderer already, steeped in blood and hate and death with red tears and broken laughs? Or an angel, charming all those around him as he fell?

 _What was he like? Before?_

 _A bastard. One you wanted to sock in the face every time he opened his goddamn mouth, you know? But deep down, he was-_

 _Cool, really good-looking, strong. He was cold and didn't let anyone in and acted like he didn't care. But deep down, he was-_

Really, Sai didn't know what to think.

Then, below the tree he was hiding in, Sasuke and Sakura both simultaneously tensed, and Sai's eyes widened, realising just why they had been facing each other off without saying anything for a while – before Sasuke leapt into the air, and threw a barrage of shuriken towards Sakura. She somersaulted away, but Sai saw her grit her teeth as one grazed her thigh, and reaching into her pouch, she responded with a volley of her own weapons that met each of Sasuke's mid-air before clattering to the ground.

Suddenly torn from his contemplation to focusing on their fight, Sai frowned automatically. Sakura's reflexes should have been much better than that – if his abilities were anything to go by, Sai had retained much of his prowess and skill from the future, and Sakura had also clarified that she could still perform medical-ninjutsu as well enhance her strength. Unless, of course, Sai thought discontentedly, it was that her body itself had been just _that_ more physically weaker and slower in the past. Speed and endurance seemed to be the two things that didn't quite carry over, and Sai still had trouble adjusting the speed at which he was used to moving; his joints ached and he tired out much faster if he didn't slow down to suit his current, less developed physique.

Sakura appeared to be in the same position as him, albeit much worse, but to her credit when Sasuke dropped in front of her amidst the metal blades, she solidly blocked his punch with an open palm, standing her ground. She then immediately folded her fingers over his hand, moving to twist his arm, but Sasuke's body rose into the air with it, and from above, his leg came down to slam onto her shoulder. She blocked that, too, raising her forearm just in time. However, the motion had left both her hands occupied and her midriff bare, and even in the short amount of time that his body was afloat Sasuke swiftly shoved a kunai towards Sakura's stomach with his other hand – and she was forced to instantly let go of him, leaping backwards.

Sai caught himself starting to nod in approval at Sasuke, and abruptly stopped. Clearly Sasuke had been talented even in his youth – perhaps not one of the _most_ ridiculous geniuses he had seen, but clearly with a prodigious kind of potential and high basic abilities. He hadn't let any opportunity go missed, turning his body expertly as to use every limb he could at his disposal.

Sakura seemed to know this as well, and probably wishing to end the fight as quickly as possible without her having to exert herself too much, although Sai was still lost as to just _why_ they were fighting in the first place – she darted towards Sasuke. Her speed was definitely slower than what Sai had seen her move with before, but still she was undeniably faster than an average genin – and he saw Sasuke reel in slight surprise as she materialised beside him, proceeding to grab his shirt and lift him up effortlessly. She then raised her arms in an evident attempt to hurl him away, and Sai had to choke back a laugh. Sakura's methods of brutality never seemed to change, apparently. Sasuke, on the other hand, although his eyes had widened exponentially, in an excellent display of quick-thinking, used the momentum to plant his foot flat on her abdomen and prepared himself to push off from her, his hands locking around her wrists to break her grip-

But of course, Sai thought with no little amusement, Sasuke might be fast, and he might be impressive, but even in their days, there hadn't been anyone that could beat Sakura in an arm-wrestle, Naruto's complaints that she was cheating with her chakra control going ignored – and even though he had no doubt that Sasuke would have successfully gotten away if it was any other ninja his age, Sakura easily disregarded Sasuke's futile efforts to escape, and threw him like a sack of potatoes into a nearby tree. The tree cracked, and fell with a high-pitched creak as Sasuke crashed against it and slumped to the ground. Sakura was almost playing with him, Sai thought, and while Sasuke struggled to sit up Sakura quickly leapt to his side, her fist rising, and there was a little, feral grin adorning her mouth. Sasuke's arms instinctively rose up to defend himself against the punch, and the action almost seemed to be in slow-motion as Sai saw Sakura's eyes suddenly widen mid-strike, and she _faltered_ , her arm stuttering as if for a second, she had considered retracting it-

Then he saw her lips thin resolutely, as if she had made a mental decision of sorts, and Sakura brought down her fist with renewed determination in her eyes. But the minute pause had been enough, and when her hand hit the ground she was there was only a log, and the soil being decimated beneath her fingers. Starting, Sakura looked up, and so did Sai – but Sasuke was already above her, his hands flying through a sequence of seals.

" _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!"

A giant fireball hurtled towards her, and Sai had to admit the sheer size of it was actually quite amazing for a genin. Sakura tried to jump out of its way, but the jutsu was cleverly aimed to drive her into the wall of trees, and Sakura had to use her chakra to stick her palms to the bark of one of the trees before pushing herself off of it, away from the seething mass of fire. That left significantly less area for her to manoeuvre to, however, and Sai cringed as Sasuke correctly predicted the spot she would move to, and came down on her like lightning, a leg stretched out, slamming into her and leaving him standing over her with a foot on her abdomen while she lay flat on the ground.

Sakura instantly grabbed onto his ankle, no doubt to hurl him away again, but then Sasuke quickly leaned in, and seemed to say something to her that Sai couldn't hear nor lip-read because Sasuke's hair had fallen to cover his mouth – and Sakura froze, her hand still wrapped around his leg but unmoving.

Sakura didn't reply to whatever it was that he had said, however, and Sasuke leaned a little closer, his leg bending, seemingly more insistent and this time Sai heard a fiercely muttered, "-power?"

Face scrunching in frustration, Sai resisted the urge to move in a better effort to hear them. If he made too much noise or did anything to direct attention towards him, he knew Sakura might notice, and frankly, he doubted she would want him to interfere in any way, or even know that he had been watching-

Sakura's voice was sharp in comparison to Sasuke's, and Sai distinctly heard her snap, "Get off, Sasuke! Or I'll _throw_ you away."

But Sasuke didn't move, and while Sai couldn't see what Sakura was seeing, her face twisted bitterly as she looked up at him. Then Sasuke began to speak again, his voice growing louder with a frustrated edge to it, and Sai could make out, "Not training-" then more hushes that escaped his comprehension but sounded laced with disgust, and then a hot,"-strength. Tell me."

And Sakura seemed to have had enough, because her grip noticeably tightened on his ankle, and although she didn't throw him away again nor did Sasuke wince, Sai could tell that her fingers were digging into his skin hard enough to leave bruises.

"I _trained_ ," Sakura finally snarled, and as her voice cracked through the training grounds Sasuke instinctively straightened. His hair fell back, exposing his face to view, and Sai could see his dark brows tightly drawn, surprise flitting through his eyes, looking conflicted. "I trained so goddamn _hard_ , Sasuke. Don't you look _down_ on my efforts." With that, Sakura pushed at Sasuke's foot again and this time Sasuke moved away from her without any resistance. He didn't help her as she struggled up, only watching her from a few steps away, but he stood with an unreadable expression that even Sai couldn't quite decipher.

When Sakura was back on her feet again, she shot a challenging look towards Sasuke, but still Sai could see the hurt sliding up her spine, making her curl her fingers into her palms and shoulders shake while Sasuke wordlessly stared back at her-

And then he saw something _shift_ in Sakura's eyes, and Sai found himself suddenly break out in cold sweat, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. His face morphed into a grimace, Sai had no idea _why_ – but looking down at the pair he couldn't help but think that he had seen something that he shouldn't have, something intimate to Sakura. Wincing at the feeling of his chest contracting, and unable to keep himself watching them a moment longer, Sai hurriedly turned, and made himself scarce.

* * *

In the dark, the upturned soil harsh against her palms and her knees planted on the ground, Sakura sat on the empty training grounds, trying to calm herself down.

Sasuke had gone, leapt up and vanished into the darkness after a few moments of matching her glare with a measured, blank expression – and Sakura couldn't tell if she had just made everything worse or better for the future.

The truth was that as soon as she had gotten into stance for the spar, her body settling comfortably, Sakura had known that there was no way she would lose. Yes, Sasuke was surely a prodigy, and an Uchiha at that, but an Uchiha without a Sharingan was simply an above average ninja, and most of all, Sasuke was young, inexperienced, and a genin. Sasuke had potential, she knew, monstrous potential that would explode with just a few years of training and honing of his skills, but at this level, before his defection, before he awakened his blood limit, he had no chance against her.

Spurred by Sasuke's sudden civility and interest in her after her little feat of strength, Sakura had thought she would find great pleasure and satisfaction in literally wiping the floor with him. If she got him to acknowledge her, and managed to convince him to train with her, that would be another set of opportunities for her to spend time with Sasuke, to try to converse with him. Then, maybe, with time, she could include Naruto in their training sessions, and that might be another one step closer to getting Sasuke to consider them as friends, and in extension, perhaps it would lead him to be inclined to open up to them more.

So Sakura had engaged in the fight actively, even though her joints hurt and her physical body struggled, choosing to side with her instincts – and to an extent, it had worked. Sasuke was fast, agile and smart, but not enough, and she had strength that could completely overwhelm him at this level. Sakura couldn't deny that she hadn't felt a thrill run up her spine when she saw the surprise in his eyes, the thrill of being able to match Sasuke in battle for once as she threw him into the air.

Sakura had been almost ready to literally pummel him when she saw Sasuke's face _change_ as he lay sprawled on the ground, trying to defend himself from her punch, rippling through his expression like a gear slotting its place. The myriad of emotions that flitted through his face had been like rapid photographs, first of disbelief and incredulity, and then a brief flash of panic, then fury – half disgust at himself and half gut-wrenchingly sad but all of it threaded with anger and Sakura could have sworn that he was thinking, _What am I doing? I can't possibly lose-_

And Sakura had felt herself instinctively stop, because Sasuke's strength had always been so absolute and definite and all-encompassing to her, and her body almost screamed in aversion at the look of uncertainty, the possibility of defeat by her of all people flickering in his eyes. _What am I doing?_ Was this going overboard? Why was she fighting him? Did she want to prove herself superior? Did she want to crush him, like he had her so many times? No, but this was all for Sasuke's sake-

Thinking back on it, Sakura released a bitter laugh. She had just been scared, hadn't she – she had travelled all the way to the past and she was _still_ so scared of breaking out of the norm, breaking out of what had been, breaking out of the confines of her memories. Always indecisive, Sakura, she thought to herself. Always one step too slow.

Then the realisation that Sasuke had never expected to find her spar worthwhile anyway, that his offer had simply been from a compulsive curiosity Sasuke always had towards people with new power, to people who seemed strong, to test that he could win against them – had come crashing down on her, and she had felt it transforming all her confusion into potent annoyance. She had made the decision to persist with her attack half from her pride and half from the thought, _If you're going to go, go big_ – but even that slight hesitation had been enough for Sasuke to escape and turn the tables in an instant, towering over her with a foot pressed against her chest. Sakura had been inwardly berating herself for her foolishness – a fight should have not been a place for her mind to wander – and had grabbed Sasuke's ankle ready to retaliate when he had leaned in, and said, in a harsh voice, "Where did you get that power?"

She had resisted the urge to laugh. Of course she would've been right – how many years had she known Sasuke, now? Of _course_ Sasuke wouldn't have taken her shabby explanation at stride – a mediocre Academy student suddenly turning up with ridiculous raw strength and medical ninjutsu? Of course he didn't believe that she had been training. That someone so weak could improve so fast- And when she didn't reply, her insides churning, Sasuke had taken her silence as a refusal to answer and continued, each word stamping into her, telling her that everything she was thinking was accurate. "There's no way you improved this much from training. Especially just for a 'little while before the bell test'."

The way that he had looked at her had been both cold and fierce, vaguely frustrated, clearly dissatisfied. Then Sakura had felt a hot wave of irritation come upon her again – one she knew that was unreasonable, but one that had been dormant within her ever since Sasuke had deigned to engage in a conversation with her. It had been hiding quietly beneath the excitement, beneath the surrealism of what the time travel had enabled – but the fact that all it had taken for her to get Sasuke's attention was power, not her love, not her care, not her friendship – had remained like a thorn at the back of her mind. She had had to repeatedly diminish her status in the past, that she had just been a 'fangirl' to prevent herself from feeling angry, but at that moment, pinned down and the defeat still fresh in her mind, she had had no such space for logic, and she had ended up lashing out at him.

The spar had clearly ended in a loss for her, no matter why she might have lost – she had faltered and let her guard down and as shinobi, she didn't have much excuse for that. If she were perfectly honest, however, right now, the night falling around her and experiencing a sort of a backlash from all the emotions she had been forcibly thrown around with, she found that she didn't even care so much. She understood the reason behind Sasuke's preoccupation with power, the whole tangle of hatred and resentment and sorrow – but she still couldn't deny that she really did dislike how Sasuke tended to completely overlook and ignore those inferior to him, while almost obsessing over those he feared might be superior. It wasn't a healthy way to look at relationships, and Sakura knew that one of the motives that had driven Sasuke to choose to rely on the Curse Seal and leave Konoha was because he felt overly conscious of Naruto's rapid growth.

If Sasuke felt frustrated because she had suddenly got so strong, Sakura thought, good for her. If Sasuke felt annoyed because the one who had gotten suddenly so strong was a weak fangirl, that was good for her, too. There was a whole horde of strong people in the world, ones with more potential than most, ones with more prodigiousness than most, ones who worked harder than most, and if meeting each of them was going to send Sasuke careening closer and closer to the darkness in his cruel mix of superiority-inferiority complex, then it was something that Sakura would have to fix when she had the chance, and better for him to be exposed to it earlier on in time.

With that thought, Sakura pushed herself up determinedly.

Still, she couldn't deny that when she finally arrived home tiredly to her mother's excited greetings, smiling widely and fluttering her hands about, saying, "You're late, Sakura! Your teacher came to visit, you know – you _just_ missed him!" Sakura found that she wanted nothing more than to go into her bed and not wake up for about a week.

* * *

Yet, when almost a week had passed since Sakura sparred with Sasuke, and Team 7 was up to choosing their eighth D-ranked mission, Sakura was still struggling to make sense of the unexpected _lack_ of things that had been happening around her while Naruto and Sasuke couldn't seen to wait to get _on_ with things.

"So," Kakashi drawled, reading their potential missions off a ridiculously thick scroll, idly perched on the bridge railings. "Washing livestock from Nozaki-san's farm?"

"We did that like two days ago!" Naruto made a face from the ground beside her, sitting cross-legged. "I _still_ smell like cow poop."

Kakashi wrinkled his nose, surreptitiously sliding away from Naruto before offering, "Babysitting Sasaki-san's triplets?"

"No," Sasuke immediately cut in, no doubt remembering how he had spent the whole day hiding or being chased by three sticky, shrieking, blushing toddlers, who seemed to have made it their life mission to jump on Sasuke the moment they had laid their eyes on him.

"Oh, yeah, teme," Naruto loudly cackled, while Sasuke looked deeply traumatised. "You were hella popular, man!"

"At least I didn't get them to throw up on me," Sasuke retaliated, and Naruto's mouth abruptly closed, paling at the memory.

Naruto turned to Kakashi. "Yeah, no, sensei – let's pass on that."

"Well, if you guys are going to be so picky," Kakashi said, beginning to frown, "Tora's always missing-"

"What does that lady _do_ to her cat?" Naruto wondered loudly, while Sasuke finally snapped, "Just until _when_ are we going to doing these?"

Naruto nodded vehemently at Sasuke's words, pointing at his cheeks where his original whiskers were almost made indistinguishable by all the cat claw marks on them. "Yeah, Kakashi-sensei! I've caught enough cats for a lifetime, damn it! We're ninja and stuff, y'know?"

"With these kind of missions," Sasuke continued, "We'll never even get the experience we need."

Kakashi shrugged helplessly before them. "You guys, these are valuable experience, too," he said, prompting Naruto to yell out, "Says a guy who makes us wait like 5 hours every morning!"

They sure got along well when they had a common target to complain at, Sakura thought, as she stood awkwardly between Naruto and Sasuke, unsure if to agree or stay quiet, her eyes darting about the members of her team. The dynamics of her team had more or less returned to its normality during the week – Naruto and Sasuke bickering, her and Kakashi exasperated – but still Sakura felt uneasy, unable to relax.

The first few days after her fight with Sasuke had been tense – Sasuke's unhappiness had radiated from him in actual _waves_ instead of his usual, slightly constrained aura, which had led Naruto to turn his nose up, loudly muttering, "What's wrong with him? It's like the stick in his ass got _longer_ ," and pulling a face when Sasuke shot a demonic glare at his direction.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had been studiously ignoring her, and knowing that it wouldn't be wise to prod him while he was basically a walking time-bomb, Sakura had remained relatively quiet around him, too, deigning to talk to Naruto instead. Still, Sakura thought it was _ridiculous_ how long his bad mood lasted; she had been trying to approach him these couple of days to work things out – despite everything, she really disliked knowing that she was a cause of discord in her team – but Sasuke had stubbornly turned away each time.

If she tried really hard to look on the bright side, she supposed Sasuke's foul disposition meant that he was much less talkative, which meant he gave less leeway for Naruto and him to erupt in an argument, and although he did loom murderously over Naruto when the blond did something overly stupid, it had led to a reasonably peaceful few days.

It didn't mean that Sakura continue to keep things this way, however, with a wedge stuck between her and Sasuke, and Sakura thought that perhaps it was the D-rank missions that were hindering them. They were too mundane, too simple, and did not require much teamwork, which gave Sasuke plenty of excuses to get himself away from her if she tried to go near him. Perhaps if they were assigned a harder mission, one where team interaction was necessary, then Sasuke would _have_ to talk to her. Then she might be able to work something out. Confront him or something. Maybe throttle him if he got too annoying.

Looking around at Sasuke's scowl and Naruto's indignant expression as they tried to convince Kakashi of their "ninja prowess, believe it!", Sakura pursed her lips and decided to speak up. Just continuing to _think_ would do nothing – for now, it was time for progress. "I agree with them, too, Kakashi-sensei," she said. "I think we can start taking harder missions."

"Yeah!" Naruto pumped his fist beside her, with a triumphant, "See?" and when Kakashi slid his gaze to her, Sakura resisted the urge to look away. After her mother had told her Kakashi had dropped by, Sakura had instantly known his suspicion of her must be running an all-time high. At Sakura's panicked, _What did he say?_ her mother had replied, _Nothing much, really – the polite man just wanted to say hello._ _I didn't know you were performing so well, Sakura. He told me your abilities were miles above your peers._ Then, a thoughtful line that had made Sakura's blood run cold, _Are you interested in becoming a medic-nin by any chance? Oh, no, don't worry – it's just some of the things he said..._

Sure that her cover was blown, or at least that Kakashi had deemed her an issue enough to catch his attention, Sakura had been waiting for him to confront her, when to her surprise, he didn't. Instead, he treated her normally, indifferent as always and occasionally sparing her an expectant look when Naruto and Sasuke fought, his eye crinkling slightly in amusement when she sighed exasperatedly at the pair's antics.

It had drove her crazy, this, this- _skimming_ around Kakashi, before she had given up, deciding that she would worry about it when he actually began to chase her around. She had even complained to Sai, _He's after me, I swear to God_ , to which he had offered a serious, _I could intercept him. Tell him to not bother you._

Sakura had laughed. _Stop joking, Sai._

When Sakura steadily met his gaze, Kakashi shrugged. "Well, if you guys are so adamant about it," he allowed, "and if you guys can behave yourselves," he shot a pointed look at Naruto and Sasuke, who stared at him right back. "I can look for a C-ranked mission."

"You _go_ , Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, excitedly jumping up into the air while Sasuke leaned back onto the railings, a good deal more satisfied.

"Yes, yes," Kakashi said dismissively. "But that means _today_ ," he fixed them with an ominous look, his lips curving under his mask, "you'll be babysitting Sasaki-san's triplets. No negotiation."

As Naruto paled, and Sasuke closed his eyes in resignation, Sakura laughed.

* * *

Kakashi wasn't sure when exactly his teaching duty had begun to feel like an espionage mission.

Over a small, pink-haired genin, no matter. The more he observed, the more he became confused, and the more he kept doubting himself; was he overreacting? Was he just high-strung because he had been daunted by the prospect of teaching Team 7 to begin with? But each time he shook it away, sure that there was at least _something_ going on.

Sakura had claimed to be proficient in medical-ninjutsu, and displayed outstanding chakra control for her age, _beyond_ her age, even – which would have not been so suspicious if one simply regarded her as an overtly talented girl, but that required disregarding of all the reports of her abilities that commented on absolutely _nothing_ outstanding whatsoever. Surely the Academy hadn't fallen _that_ low as to misjudge a student so badly.

Not to mention her attitude had changed so drastically, almost seeming as though she had aged an entire decade from when she introduced herself at the rooftop, now mature and confident as she led Naruto and Sasuke in the bell test.

And that _vision_ – he still hadn't found an explanation for that.

Sakura might seem to be good girl, her affection towards Naruto seemingly genuine and her adoration of Sasuke noticeably muted but still there in the glances that often escaped her, but something simply didn't _sit_ right, and gut instinct, followed by a pile of evidence warranting suspicion, was something that a ninja couldn't ignore.

Visiting Sakura's mother hadn't yielded as much information as he would have liked, but still, two things had been garnered from her responses. One was that her mother considered Sakura's strength to be quite low – her expectations beneath mediocre, her first question having been, _Is she not falling behind her teammates?_ Then when he had replied that Sakura was closer to being _above_ her peers than anything else, she had seemed almost frozen with disbelief. So unless chakra-enhanced strength was a norm in the family, which he seriously doubted, as from even a single look her mother hadn't seemed like a very high-ranking ninja – her parents knew nothing about the extent of her abilities. According to her, it also seemed that Sakura had only begun to train extensively very recently.

The other, about if Sakura's story about medical-ninjutsu was true, and to his careful, _Sakura seems to show interest in medical-ninjutsu_ , her mother had again, reacted with complete surprise. To his second question of if there were any family members that could have influenced her, she had replied, _There aren't any medic-nins in my side of the family. I'm not quite sure on my husband's side, though – there could be._

So either Sakura's family had a serious communication problem going on, where no one in her family ever talked about anything, or Sakura had lied. Which caught onto the next question: _how_ did she learn medical-ninjutsu and her chakra control?

Still, Kakashi knew that hearing of his visit would have instantly put Sakura on red-alert, and so he had observed her quietly for a while, satisfied when she looked obviously rattled around him for the first few days, then disgruntled when she soon calmed. He had intentionally stayed away with the thought that if she was an external ninja with a specific goal or aim who was impersonating Sakura, worst case scenario – then knowing that she was under suspicion would have either urged her to speed up in whatever it was that she had to do, or cause her to make a slip-up.

However, only incredibly high-ranking ninja would be assigned such missions, and it would have been borderline stupid for them to have revealed their abilities so easily, considering how Sakura had almost _openly_ told him about it. Not to mention impersonation on a prolonged basis was an incredibly difficult feat.

Kakashi sighed as he lay on the roof, the vague sounds of babies screeching and Naruto's screams and Sakura's panicked shouts calling for Sasuke to return to consciousness echoing in the house under him. He had been experiencing nothing but confusion since Team 7 had come into existence, and as he considered what kind of C-rank would be the most appropriate for them, Kakashi thought that it might actually be a good idea for them to get out of Konoha for a little while.

Watching Sakura in external environments might provide more insight, and Kakashi would be able to easily engage her in a confrontation in a less crowded stage if it came to that.

 _If_ it came to that.

Suspicious or not, finding a criminal or an imposter among his genin team would be the final nail in his utter failure to be anything _related_ to a teacher even before reaching a month in the occupation, and Kakashi found himself mildly hoping that this was all a misunderstanding and that Sakura had a perfectly reasonable, and logical explanation behind everything.

When it was finally around sunset, and Sasaki-san came home with wide, open arms to his triplets, Naruto was still shaking from his most recent narrow escape from vomit and there were several dango-sticks stuck to Sakura's shirt, while Sasuke's cheeks were red with all the times the toddlers had pulled on them.

"I suppose that's mission completed," Kakashi said jovially, eye crinkling at the trio's dishevelled state, to which all three of them scowled heavily. "Assemble at the bridge at eight tomorrow. We'll then go to the Hokage Tower." With that, as always, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

As soon as Kakashi was out of view, Naruto groaned loudly. "I'm _beat_ ," he complained, massaging his arms, which had been holding a baby for at least the last six hours or so.

"At least we're getting a proper mission tomorrow," Sakura said beside him and Naruto grinned.

"Yeah! We'll smash it, Sakura-chan!"

The trio then continued to stand in silence, and Sakura distinctly found the air growing awkward as Sasuke didn't disappear immediately like he always did, when usually he would leave straightaway and Sakura would either train, or join Naruto for ramen. Sasuke was staring ahead with his brow furrowed, looking away from them, but Sakura clearly caught his sidelong glance when his eyes slid towards her, rooting her to the spot, and Naruto seemed to have seen it, too, because he hurriedly slipped his hand in hers. "Sakura-chan," Naruto said, "Can we go to Ichiraku's? I have something that I wanted to talk to you about-"

"Sakura."

Sasuke's voice cut through Naruto's, he turned towards her expectantly. "Stay back. I need to talk to you."

And there she was again, stuck between Naruto and Sasuke in an instant, and Sakura wanted to throttle the both of them. _Why now, Sasuke?_ She thought. _What about all the times that I tried to talk to you and you ignored me? And you, Naruto? Why not yesterday, or all the days we went to Ichiraku's this week?_

She looked at Sasuke, then turned to Naruto, her expression conflicted, and Naruto's grip on her tightened. "Sakura-chan-"

Naruto sounded insistent, but it was the first time that Sasuke had approached her first the entire week, and she struggled, biting her lip. And as she found her mind making the decision for her, she thought, cringing, _this is my greatest flaw, my greatest sin to Naruto_ , while hating herself for it, _always Sasuke, Sasuke over Naruto_ \- "I'm sorry, Naruto," she finally said. "Can you tell me later?"

Then she slipped her hand out of Naruto's, swallowing thickly, and she vaguely felt his hand falter in the air before dropping to his side, and he nodded, facing the ground. She tried to reach out to him, to apologise again, but Naruto had already moved away. After shooting Sasuke a bitter look, which made Sakura's chest ache, Naruto disappeared.

Sakura sighed, feeling tired of all these decisions that she seemed to be constantly forced to make without even knowing the consequences, and faced Sasuke. "What is it?" She asked tiredly. "You've been ignoring me all week." Slight hurt had seeped into her last words despite herself, and Sasuke frowned, the line of his mouth flat.

"I've been watching you," he said, and her brows rose. "You train almost manically."

This was true. She had dedicated herself to training each morning and night in a desperate attempt to increase her endurance, most times coming back almost unconscious with exhaustion – but what surprised her was that Sasuke had been paying attention to what she was doing outside of missions. "You've been _following_ me?" She said incredulously.

Sasuke's mouth twisted as though he didn't approve of her choice of words. "Your stamina is appalling," he said, disregarding her question, and Sakura found all her surprise instantly transform into annoyance. "Without using your chakra, your physical strength is substandard. You're fast, but you seem unable to sustain it for extended periods of time."

"Did you just hold me back to insult me?" Sakura snapped, irritated and reminded of Naruto's crestfallen expression, and Sasuke's frown deepened, as if things weren't quite going as he had wanted.

"No," he said at last. "What I'm saying is-" he stopped, as though he was chewing over his words. He bit his lip, once, before continuing. "What I'm trying to say is that I _know_ chakra control is something that takes time to harness and polish."

And Sakura found herself momentarily unable to breath, because there it was, the closest thing to an acknowledgement of her effort that she could get from him, and she felt her eyes widen and her chest fill with a hazy warmth. Then she realised that reason Sasuke had decided to approach her today was probably because they would be getting a higher-ranked mission tomorrow, and that he knew that thee team couldn't remain in conflict forever, and Sakura's chest warmed even more. So he _had_ taken Kakashi's words at the bell test to heart-

"Teach me your chakra control," Sasuke said, although his face automatically scrunched at the word _teach_ , which he evidently considered a violation of his pride. "And I'll help you with your endurance."

Sasuke waited, the request out between them, and he almost expected her to laugh – you want _me_ to teach _you_? Or even downright refuse, considering how he had treated her the whole week-

But Sakura only smiled, the curve of her lips wide on her face, her eyes shining, he wondered why the expression reminded him of _himself_ , a smile that he used to smile a long time ago when he still had a brother and a loving mother, when his stoic father would bestow on him a rare compliment-

"Alright," Sakura said.

* * *

Tazuna was a tall, bearded man with clear spectacles and a pungent smell of alcohol that surrounded him, and as soon as he entered the Hokage's office, he narrowed his eyes at Naruto. " _This_ shrimp is supposed to protect me? He looks barely competent!"

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, darting towards Tazuna to only be held back by Sasuke and Sakura, who had grabbed his jumpsuit. "I'll show _you_ competent, you drunk old man!"

"Drunk old-" Tazuna started to repeat incredulously when the Sandaime cleared his throat, effectively silencing the pair.

The Hokage sent Kakashi a look, as if to say, _I expect you to have Naruto under control_ , before turning to Tazuna. "I assure you they are more than competent for this mission," he said. "They are skilled genin, and not to mention that Kakashi here," he motioned at the jōnin, "is one of my most capable ninja. You are in safe hands."

Tazuna looked reluctant, but seemed to accept the Sandaime's grave expression and Kakashi's following nod as reassurance enough, and raised his hands. "Fine, fine. As long as I get to Waves safely."

Setting out, the weather was pleasant, Kakashi leading the way while Tazuna walked in front of the genin trio, and Naruto was humming excitedly by her side, his gloomy expression from the day before nowhere to be found. While Sakura _did_ wonder what it was that he had wanted to say, she found that her mind kept returning to trying to recall what had happened in the Waves mission in detail, and stored the question away to ask him privately later.

She remembered they had been attacked by some Mist-nin, then attacked _again_ , by Zabuza – until Haku took him away. Then arriving in Waves, resting for a week or so – until the confrontation with Zabuza yet again. Her brows furrowed as she remembered the terrible fight on the bridge, Naruto's red Nine-Tailed chakra enveloping his body, Sasuke lying on the ground, a thousand senbon littering his chest.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto tapped her arm, looking worried. "What's wrong?"

Sakura laughed sheepishly, and shook her head. "Nothing, Naruto. I-" She trailed off as her eyes zeroed onto the puddle that inconspicuously lay beside them on the path as the group walked past it, and her mouth fell open in realisation. Sasuke was the nearest to it, only a step in front with his back exposed, and she yelled, "Sasuke, watch out!" at the same time two ninja erupted from the water, metal chains lashing out like lightning. Thankfully, her shout had given him enough time for Sasuke to whirl, and leap out of the way, his eyes wide.

The Mist-nin headed straight for Kakashi, who apparently seemed to be taken off guard, although Sakura knew that it was just a façade – spinning their sharp chain around his body and _tearing_ into his flesh. She heard Tazuna let out a panicked shout, and beside her, felt Naruto paralysed and trembling – that she quickly put a hand over his shoulder, and said, "Naruto, protect Tazuna!"

"I-" Naruto stuttered, looking towards where the two shinobi stood over Kakashi's supposedly dead body, then looking down at his hands, shaking. From the corner of her eye, Sakura saw the chūnin pair now advance on them, their chains flying and heading towards Sasuke, who seemed equally rattled, but his eyes quickly narrowing when he saw them coming towards him. She quickly threw a couple of kunai, throwing the chain off-course and giving him enough time to jump into the air, land on the ninjas' arms and twist his body, kicking both of them in the face.

It was a satisfying sight, and although she knew that Sasuke could probably stand his ground, he wouldn't be able to defeat _both_ of them, and this time, she grabbed Naruto's shoulder enough to hurt, pushing him more firmly away. "Naruto!" She shouted at him, "Go to Tazuna!"

Naruto faced her with wide eyes, before nodding shakily and darting away, and Sakura turned back to the fight, stepping into Sasuke's non-dominant side and narrowly avoiding a slash with an iron claw at her face. She latched on to his arm and bent it backwards, hard, feeling his bones snap under her grip. She had to leap away at the lines of chain that came hurtling towards her, however, and Sasuke took her place instead, solidly kicking the enemy in stomach, and he staggered, falling to the ground.

Then there was a fearful yell, and turning to the side, Sakura saw the other chūnin swiping his clawed hands at Naruto and Tazuna. She swore, her eyes darting between Sasuke, fending off the chūnin who had stood back up, and at Naruto, when Kakashi appeared in a whirl of smoke, and a kunai embedded itself in the throat of the enemy at Sasuke's side while he instantly incapacitated the other. She breathed out a sigh of relief, while Naruto continued to stand in front of Tazuna, his legs shaking. She landed by Naruto's side and pat his shoulders reassuringly. "Naruto," she said, "It's over." By her side, she also saw Sasuke join them, his gaze critical as he looked at Naruto.

"Good work, Sasuke, Sakura. You handled the situation well." Kakashi said as he approached them, the two bodies unconscious and already tied up behind him. He nodded at the two of them before turning to Naruto disapprovingly. "You reacted poorly, Naruto. If you're too scared to actually engage the enemy in combat, protecting your client is of utmost priority. Do not let yourself freeze up again."

Naruto swallowed, his hands clenched into fists at his sides as he stared down at the ground, frustration whirling in his eyes. Sakura wanted to defend him; tell Kakashi not to be so harsh, but she knew that every word Kakashi said was true, well-deserved. Then she noticed blood dropping down Naruto's fingers, and her eyes widened. "Naruto," she said, pointing at the injury. "Your hand-"

The blond raised his hand, looking at it in surprise, and Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "It's probably poisoned," he said. "Their claws were coated in them."

Sasuke's eyes snapped towards Kakashi at the statement. "Poisoned?" He said, "Is it lethal?"

Kakashi shook his head. "We don't know. But you'd best not move around too much, Naruto, or it could spread. For now, your wound needs to be opened to take the blood out-"

His lips pursing, Naruto pulled out a kunai from his pouch in a clean motion and pressed it into his hand without hesitation. The blade slipped in cleanly through the flesh, and immediately blood flowed, washing over his hand in rivulets.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, while Sasuke's eyes were fixed on his hands, and she moved towards him, intent on healing the wound - when Naruto took a deep breath, his eyes sparking, and a new light of determination entered his eyes that rooted her to the spot. "I'm never going to run away ever again," he declared loudly, his bloody hand held out in front of him as if swearing an oath. "I won't back down anymore, whether it be a mission, or a threat, or an enemy, no matter how strong they are! I swear, from now I'm going to _fight_ by my team!"

While Team 7 and Tazuna quietly stood around him, Sasuke and Kakashi staring at him unreadably, Sakura felt her chest puff out, as if a balloon was inflating from inside her. She first thought that it was because she was proud of Naruto- when she was hit with a sudden thought.

 _I'm going to fight by my team?_

 _Before-_

 _Before, it was- he said- his oath in the past had been-_

 _I swear, from now I'm not going to lose against Sasuke!_

A grin exploding onto her face, Sakura moved to ruffle Naruto's hair proudly, and he turned, and gave her a thumbs-up.

* * *

A/N: I have a serious length controlling problem D: My original intention was for this chapter to end much later along the plot, fighting Zabuza and introducing some more Team 7 conflict goodness and all that excitement, but then I realised that if I kept going to the point of where I wanted it to be, then this chapter would become _ridiculously_ long (and I mean ridiculous). So I'm afraid you'll all have to wait for a little more for the all the action and the drama that's to come. I do still _really_ hope that this chapter was fun/good enough to have been interesting at least.

As always, thank you for your support. I appreciate all feedback, so please leave your comments below! They always motivate me to keep writing, especially those of you who have left me kind words each chapter. It's such a joy to read them, and I'm eternally grateful.


	6. The Land of Waves I

The air was tense as they walked along the path leading to Waves; Kakashi had practically scared Tazuna's eyes out threatening to abandon the mission if he didn't give an adequate explanation as to why there were ninja attacking them left and right, and Tazuna had reluctantly confessed the truth about Waves' less than ideal financial situation.

Although he did look displeased at having been lied to, knowing that Tazuna couldn't afford any higher-ranked mission, Kakashi had agreed to still escort him to Wave. Despite having haughtily led the way along with Kakashi before, Tazuna now followed the group at the back, significantly quieter and shooting the jōnin anxious glances.

Sasuke walked on the Sakura's right, restlessly spinning a kunai between his fingers. His dark eyes periodically scanned his surroundings as though hunting out enemies in hiding, while Naruto sauntered along on her other side. The blond looked as careless as always with his hands folded behind his head, but there was a certain rigidity to his spine that hadn't been there before. Sakura eyed Naruto's hand, partially hidden out of view by his spiky locks, noting with relief that the cut had almost completely closed up. On the boat, Sakura had been planning to heal his hand when she had noticed that it was already growing smaller in size, the Kyūbi obviously having given him ridiculous levels of natural regenerating abilities.

Naruto caught her sideways gaze curiously. "What's wrong, Sakura-chan? Do I have something on my face?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it's just I was worried about your hand – but it looks like it's alright already, huh?"

Naruto looked at his hand, then back at Sakura, his brows furrowing slightly. "Ah, yeah, I guess so-"

Sakura's eyes widened as Naruto suddenly whipped out a kunai mid-word, and hurled it towards a bush precariously close to Sasuke's leg. The group instantly froze, their gazes snapping to the foliage that the weapon had disappeared into. When nothing happened, they turned slowly towards the blond. "Naruto?" Sakura tentatively asked. "What was that about?"

Naruto's blue eyes were narrowed onto the bush, and Sakura shifted uneasily, glancing at Sasuke who had instinctively taken a defensive stance near Tazuna. A few more seconds passed in silence before the blond visibly relaxed, and leaned back on his heels, sheepishly scratching his head. "Never mind," he said. "I guess it was nothing, after all!" At the looks of incredulity, Naruto laughed.

As Sasuke rolled his eyes, Sakura sighed. "Naruto," she said. "Try not to scare us like that- wait, _seriously_?" This time, Sakura openly frowned, placing her hands on her hips crossly as Naruto flung yet another kunai towards another supposedly random bush. Tazuna appeared halfway between dissolving in paranoia and wanting to pick Naruto up and throw him away like a sack of potatoes, and the blond protested, "Nah, Sakura-chan – I really actually sensed something this time, I swear!"

At Naruto's adamance, Sasuke crouched down, reaching out towards the leaves and pushed them apart. It revealed a small white rabbit, shivering in fear next to Naruto's kunai, which had its point buried in the ground next to it. "A rabbit," Sasuke said flatly. "Devastating."

Sasuke's deadpan tone seemed to fly right over Naruto's head, however, as he zeroed in on the fluffy animal, face lighting up and he darted towards it, swooping it up in his arms. The rabbit looked ready to pass out as the blond crushed it to his chest, hugging it fiercely. "A bunny!" Naruto cooed, nuzzling its fur. "You must have been so scared! I'm so sorry for throwing that scary big weapon at you!"

Sasuke shot him an exasperated look, Sakura stifling a laugh at the blond's antics, but it quickly trailed off as she felt a strange nagging at her insides. Staring at the rabbit brought a certain discomfort, as if something didn't fit right – and Sakura frowned, trying to identify exactly what it was about the animal. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kakashi move closer towards them, and Sakura froze with realisation as she looked up to find his grey eye similarly trained on it, brows furrowed. She could feel the sun beating down on her arms, hot and bright of the summer months and yet- A _white_ rabbit-

" _Duck_!"

Kakashi's voice, sharp and sudden, cracked down upon them like a whip, and the group instinctively hit the ground, Naruto's eyes widening exponentially as a thick blade whipped itself across the air mere centimetres above their heads. His grip loosened on the rabbit, and as Sakura watched the animal bound off, disappearing into the grass, she could feel her heart start to pound, the distinct _thunk_ of metal imbedding itself in a tree echoing in her ears.

She straightened up just in time to see a man leap on the handle of his sword, his form dark and powerful against the bright sky – _Zabuza_ , Sakura recognised with a cold sort of feeling – before he pushed off of it towards Tazuna and Sasuke, who had immediately moved to stand in front of the bridgebuilder. Sakura gritted her teeth, and turned – Sasuke might have stood his ground against the chūnin, but this was on a different level entirely – but before she could reach him Sakura heard the grating screech of metal sliding against metal, piercing through the air. She saw Sasuke reflexively reel as Kakashi materialised in front of him, intercepting Zabuza's strike, and forcing the nuke-nin to jump backwards as he slashed his kunai in a wide arc.

Zabuza tore his sword from the tree as he landed a little distance from them, and he tilted his head up, regarding Kakashi thoughtfully. Taking advantage of the moment Sakura hurriedly grabbed Naruto's sleeve, pulling him towards Tazuna and Kakashi. The blond thankfully seemed to break out of the shock quickly this time, promptly positioning himself in formation in the group.

"Who _is_ that?" Naruto whispered next to her, mild panic coating his voice.

"Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi replied, his eye fixed upon the man, and Sakura saw the tension threading itself through his body. "Demon of the Hidden Mist, an expert in silent assassination, former ANBU, currently a missing nin." As Kakashi listed the man's titles, Sakura could feel the apprehension settling in on the group at the jōnin's serious voice. "And nowhere close to where you guys can handle." Kakashi slowly raised his hand towards his hitai-ate. "That means your enemy is me, Zabuza." With that, Kakashi pushed his forehead protector up.

Instantly, Sakura saw Sasuke stiffen as he took in the deep red shade of Kakashi's eye – mouth opening with disbelief, a mix of confusion and suspicion dark in his eyes. " _Sharingan_ ," Sasuke said, and the word fell off of his tongue like he hadn't said it for a long time. "How-"

"Whoa, dude, his eye!" Naruto exclaimed, then, seeing Sasuke's almost stricken expression, belatedly asked, "So, um, what's the Sharingan?"

"My clan's bloodline," Sasuke said, voice tight. "It can see through and copy any ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu-"

"That's insane," Naruto muttered, before frowning. "Wait, bastard, your _clan's_ bloodline? But Kakashi-sensei isn't-"

"Kakashi of the Sharingan," Zabuza said, his voice like low thunder, cutting Naruto short. "The Legendary Copy Ninja. I'm honoured. It will be a true testament to my skill to be the one to kill you." He barely lingered for a second to see Kakashi's eyes narrow before he disappeared, bringing instead a thick mist that descended on them like a heavy blanket. It effectively rendered their vision useless, anything that was more than a metre away appearing as though it was covered in a layer of cotton, and Team 7 instinctively inched closer to each other, eyeing the fog warily.

Then somehow in front of them Kakashi _straightened_ , and Sakura saw Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously flinch, the sudden killing intent that Kakashi had begun radiating washing over them in a wave of cold. Sakura was used to it, both as an experienced kunoichi and having seen Kakashi fight with his eyes glacial and Sharingan glowing, bearing down on the enemy with frightening precision many times – but to them, she knew that it was probably the first time they had felt such a potent lethal atmosphere. _Well_ , Sakura thought, glancing at Sasuke whose fingers were trembling at his sides, _maybe not the first time_. Sakura reached out, firmly clamping a hand down on Naruto and Sasuke's shoulders, and squeezed reassuringly. Naruto's gaze snapped to her before he nodded, not quite managing a smile but seemingly having understood her gesture. While the blond relaxed under her touch, Sasuke's eyes similarly slid towards her, and he clenched his hands into fists instead.

"Team 7," Kakashi said, and this time when all three of them looked up, their expressions were resolute. "Protect Tazuna with all you've got. That is your sole priority." Then he turned his head towards them, and Sakura swore his features softened slightly when his eyes skimmed along her hands on the boys. "Don't worry," he said, and Naruto and Sasuke seemed surprised at the almost paternal tone with which he had spoken with. "I will protect you with my life. I don't let my comrades die." Then he added, "Trust me."

Sakura nodded unquestioningly. She knew while Kakashi didn't utter much, he truly meant the things he said – and Kakashi had been one of the few people that she had completely and entirely relied on in the past, the one constant in her team that had steadily remained unchanging even as Naruto and Sasuke continued to fluctuate. Naruto seemed to be blown away by the warmth of his words, while Sasuke remained silent, but they didn't have much time to revel in the moment as Zabuza appeared at the centre of their formation with a chuckle. "Pretty words," he said, brandishing his sword, but Sakura and Sasuke had been prepared, and leapt backwards with Tazuna. But Naruto stuttered, seemingly wanting to help Kakashi, until the jōnin shot a sharp look in his direction, and he was forced to reluctantly retreat.

Before Zabuza could chase after them Kakashi whirled and plunged his kunai into his stomach, and the man promptly burst in water, while simultaneously appearing at Kakashi's back, swinging his sword through Kakashi's neck. And yet Kakashi similarly dissolved into a puddle at contact with the blade and Team 7 watched with their breaths held as the two shinobi continued to outsmart, then outsmart each other again.

Beside her, Sasuke was patiently standing his ground, watching the fight intently, ready to push Tazuna away from danger at a moment's notice, but she noticed Naruto was almost rocking on his heels, clearly agitated. _He wants to intervene_ , Sakura realised, and she bit her lip. Zabuza was completely over their current skill levels, and judging by the number of times Naruto had swallowed thickly while watching Kakashi fight it was clear that he knew it, too. But it was also obvious that he wanted a chance to redeem himself for his previous inaction with the Mist-nin, and the desire to prove oneself was one that Sakura could honestly more than empathise with.

She placed a hand on Naruto's arm. "When the right moment comes," she told him, and he looked surprised at having been seen right through, before nodding determinedly. Sakura sensed Sasuke send a sidelong glance at them, but she didn't have time to ponder on that as she saw Kakashi being flown away by two Zabuzas, tensing as she realised that this Kakashi wasn't a clone.

Kakashi crashed into the nearby lake, and as he emerged a cage of water rose with him, and she saw Kakashi's expression twist as he recognised the jutsu. "Naruto! Sasuke! Sakura!" He shouted, his voice muffled as the water began to engulf him. "Take Tazuna and run!"

Watching the sphere of water swirl around Kakashi mid-air Naruto gave the jōnin a wide-eyed look before turning to her, while Sasuke's gaze darted between Kakashi's trapped form and Tazuna, and Sakura startled as Sasuke's eyes eventually settled on her, too. Since when had they looked to _her_ for a plan? Sakura took a breath as she watched Zabuza create another clone, a replacement to to engage them as the prison jutsu consistently required an arm of the caster inside the water to maintain it. "We can't run," Sakura said, and both boys relaxed, it obviously having been the reply that they had wanted, "Looking at the jutsu, it seems like Zabuza both can't hold it and fight at the same time. We'll have to free Kakashi by distracting his original body." She took a breath. This was dangerous, a gamble, but Zabuza was approaching and she had no time, and most of all, she knew that this, distracting Zabuza here and now had been one of Naruto's first, crucial achievements and she could _not_ let that pass by- Turning, she gave Naruto a small, encouraging smile. "Ready?"

Naruto needed no further prompt, as he darted forward towards Zabuza, his hands flying through seals. Sakura soon followed, barely noting Sasuke's frustrated expression as Tazuna grabbed onto his shirt to prevent from leaving him all alone. She knew Sasuke wouldn't appreciate being left out in the action, but now, with Naruto's jaw clenched and blue eyes determined, he took priority. She had seen the vexed expression the blond had worn after Kakashi's admonishment, a shade of the crippling feelings of being inferior, of expectations unmet, and it was an emotion that she never had wanted him to experience. "Naruto! Do you have a plan?" Sakura called out when she caught up to him.

Naruto gave her a wide smile. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I can handle this one! Just watch me!" At his last word, a dozen or so clones of the blond surrounded her, all sprinting towards Zabuza.

"Naruto, wait!" Sakura shouted, and gritted her teeth when the blond didn't look back. Even if this Zabuza was only a clone, it was not any less deadly, and she needed to know exactly what he was going to do in order to back him up effectively. "Even if you tell me not to worry-" She was forcibly cut short as Zabuza swung his sword in one smooth arc that instantly obliterated almost all of Naruto's clones and she had to leap out of the way. While she was mid-air she watched the original Naruto closely manoeuvre past the blade, narrowly ducking under its edge and rolling over a following kick- and Sakura bit her lip as she realised he was intending to simply outrun the clone to get to the actual Zabuza. It made theoretical sense, better than actually trying to defeat him head-on – but Zabuza had reflexes and physical abilities that were miles beyond his. The possibility of it actually working was low – beyond low.

How had Naruto done it before? In her past? Sakura frowned. Surely she remembered – what had it _been_ – then, a vague image of a fūma shuriken, Naruto's triumphant smile, Sasuke- _Sasuke_. Naruto's teamwork with Sasuke. Because before, it had been her, no questions asked, that had taken the backseat in the action, off at the side with Tazuna, leaving the two boys to work out a plan. She had managed to avoid that in this timeline, but now she had ended up taking Sasuke's place.

Sakura saw Zabuza whirl on Naruto with demonic speed, raising his sword – and she instinctively bore down on the nuke-nin, consternation flooding into her. The realisation had come too late. She had wanted to help Naruto, help him regain his self-confidence, to tell him that he would grow up to be the great ninja he always dreamt of being – but it wasn't her intention to _wedge_ between Naruto and Sasuke. And she felt her heart squeeze as she realised her actions had effectively erased one of Sasuke's memory forever, one of working together with Naruto for the first time against an enemy, one of actually relying on each other for once- _Then that makes it doubly my responsibility_ , Sakura thought, _to make sure this goes well_. Her responsibility to watch his back this time.

Zabuza reeled slightly in surprise as Sakura dropped down right in the blade's path –between him and Naruto. She swooped under his arm with finesse impossible of a genin, and raised her arm just in time to collide with his hand. At the chakra she had coated her wrist with, Zabuza's grip on his sword slackened, the blade halting in its swing – and Sakura instantly wrapped her fingers around its handle – pushing it away from Naruto just in time. A foot rose towards her abdomen, but she blocked that with her other hand, too, and Zabuza scowled incredulously at her as she held her ground against him.

"Sakura-chan-" Naruto had turned, looking back at her worriedly, and Sakura yelled, "Go! Don't look back!"

Zabuza, obviously growing urgent as Naruto shot forward towards his original body, used the moment she was distracted to raise his other leg and slam his foot against her stomach, and Sakura faltered, the breath rushing out of her, feeling as though her lungs were collapsing inwards. But she knew what Zabuza was planning to do before he did it, and she moved – barely able to breathe and wheezing, but still quick enough to push Naruto out of the way at Zabuza's second try at cutting the blond in half.

That left her vulnerable, however, as the blade changed course and came down vertically on her – and Naruto surged up towards her, this time obviously unable to leave her behind. The blond's clones enveloped Zabuza in an instant, piling on his back, holding his shoulder, crawling on his sword, and Zabuza had to swat them away – buying her a moment to raise her arms protectively in front of her, preparing to catch the blade in her hands when he swung it, and hurl it away in an attempt to disarm him for good.

But there was a flash at the corner of her vision, and Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the original Zabuza, not too far away from them now – metal glinting between his fingers as he threw a row of shuriken towards Naruto's back. She had forgotten that while the real Zabuza was immobile in his position, he could still move his other arm – and Sakura was forced to abandon her plan of defending herself, one of her arms stretching towards her left instead to grab Naruto's jumpsuit again, and then she was pulling him aside, leaving the shuriken to speed narrowly past his ear. But that meant she only had one arm to defend herself against Zabuza's strike- and Sakura could only watch the blade fall towards her, her hand releasing Naruto's clothes, leaving him to sprawl on the ground as she raised her other arm again. Sakura grimaced. She didn't want to step up her abilities too much, lest drive everyone into more suspicion especially after barely dealing with Sasuke – but at this point she didn't have much of a choice – if she slammed her foot into the ground hard enough for it to break into fissures, then Zabuza would have to jump away-

But before she could even raise her leg, a fūma shuriken, spinning and large and vicious cut right through Zabuza's chest, its edges whizzing past just in front of her eyes as the clone melted helplessly against the sawing blades. Sakura stopped breathing as she instinctively followed the weapon with her eyes, and it kept going in a flat line, towards Naruto, directly in its way-

" _Naruto_!" Sakura shouted, and there was a minimal fraction of a second where the blond turned, his eyes catching on the weapon and he barely managed to swerve, its rims slashing through Naruto's cheek mercilessly, leaving blood in its wake. His hand flying up to the wound, Naruto looked confused as to where the weapon had come from, but then his gaze landed on something beyond her shoulder and his face immediately turned steely, leading him to promptly whirl and leap towards Zabuza with a kunai in hand.

Sakura vaguely saw Zabuza being forced to move away from Naruto's attack, off-balance from having had to while dodge the fūma shuriken himself, the blond letting out a triumphant yell as he even managed to sear a cut through Zabuza's arm – and the raw roaring of water echoing in her ears as the jutsu broke, Kakashi re-entering the battle with a vengeance. Then she spun, in the direction where Naruto had been facing, and right in line with her vision stood Sasuke, eyes frighteningly dark and the line of his mouth thin, straightening, rolling his shoulders. Sakura couldn't tell if the emotion in his eyes was anger, disapproval, or disappointment, but at the moment she could only think of the grey blades of the fūma shuriken that Sasuke had thrown reflected in Naruto's eyes- _He threw it_ , Sakura thought, unable to look away from Sasuke, _it cut Naruto_ -

Naruto landed beside her, a hand on her shoulder and grinning. "We did it, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed, his eyes bright. "We freed Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto jerked his chin towards a little distance away, where pillars of water were crashing into each other, rocking the ground they stood on. "I think Kakashi-sensei's going to win," he said proudly, and Sakura nodded, mind still muddled and not trusting herself to reply. Of all the weapons and strikes that Sakura had tried to protect Naruto from, the one that she hadn't been able to had come from _behind_ them, from _Sasuke_ \- Naruto had _bled_ \- Hell, if he hadn't been able to move away in time-

Sakura closed her eyes shut, trying to dispel the memory of Naruto's betrayed expression, Sasuke's cruel smile and the ninja-to poised at the blond's throat.

 _I spared your life on a whim, nothing more._

"Anyway, thanks, bastard." Naruto's voice cut through her thoughts and her eyes flew open, staring at Naruto who nodded at Sasuke. "I mean, my cheek hurts like _hell_ ," he made a face. "But I guess that was pretty good timing." With a grudging grin, Naruto wiped off the blood on his face with the back of his hand. "I won't need your help next time, though!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto for a long time, an unreadable expression on his face before sliding his gaze to her, and Sakura had to quickly look away, resisting the urge to wince. _Right_ , she told herself. _That was to save us. It was._

She didn't see Sasuke's expression twist as he watched her.

* * *

Sakura had called Naruto over to heal his cheek when it was Sasuke and Tazuna's turn to carry Kakashi, having fallen unconscious from chakra exhaustion, and the blond literally jumped at the healing chakra coating her hands, gaping at it astoundingly. "That's amazing, Sakura-chan! Where did you learn that?"

She laughed, ghosting her hand over his cheek and Naruto's eyes slid closed in relief as the cut mended under her touch. "Someone in my family," she said. "It took a long time, but they taught me."

"Wow, Sakura-chan," Naruto's voice had almost turned reverent. "That's so cool. You're even more great than I ever thought you were – like an angel, or something!"

As the cut faded to a scar, then to nothing, Sakura retracted her hand. She wanted to say, _And you'll become greater than an angel_ , but simply opted for a smile.

As the two hurried to catch up to the group, Kakashi's form slumped over Tazuna and Sasuke's shoulders, Naruto worriedly asked, "Is Kakashi-sensei going to be alright?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, eyeing him carefully. Truth be told, when Haku had come to collect Zabuza's body after 'killing' him, she had almost been tempted to point out the discrepancy of his actions – hunter-nins destroyed, not elegantly incapacitated – but she had noted the way Kakashi had minutely swayed after the fight, losing balance. It was understandable, considering the sheer number of jutsus he had reproduced and threw around like candy, and she had stepped in just in time after Haku disappeared, catching Kakashi as he fell unconscious. Also, Sakura had known that this was one course of event that she probably should leave alone – the battle on the bridge with Zabuza and Haku had led to two of the most crucial points in Naruto and Sasuke's developments – the first channeling of the Nine-tails' chakra and the activation of the Sharingan, and she wasn't willing to risk that much, yet. "Yeah," Sakura said again, nodding. "He'll be fine. It's just chakra fatigue."

Naruto looked relieved at her answer, before approaching Tazuna and gesturing to swap positions. The man seemed to have garnered a sort of a new respect for the trio after the short fight, and he nodded, handing Kakashi over to the blond with a slight smile. "Almost there," Tazuna said. "Then we can get a proper place to rest."

Sakura, too, tapped Sasuke on the shoulder. "Swap?"

She startled when Sasuke almost jerked away from her touch, not looking at her as he quickly moved out of the way. Settling Kakashi's arm around her shoulders, she followed him with worried eyes, catching Naruto's frown as he glanced at Sasuke, then at her. _What's wrong with him?_ He mouthed.

Sakura shook her head. _I don't know._

* * *

Night quickly fell once the group arrived at Wave, then at Tazuna's home. His family were welcoming enough, Naruto quickly endearing himself to them as he usually did to people, and the initial alarm had soon died off once Sakura told them that no, Kakashi wasn't dead, but had just fainted.

Though not a feast in any way, they had also graced them with a hot meal and a spare storage room to sleep in, and after seeing the rather poor state of the village, Team 7 had been more than grateful for their hospitality.

After dinner, Sakura had volunteered to wash the dishes, and she sent Sasuke an uneasy look as he politely excused himself, and disappeared from the lounge. For the remainder of the trip Sasuke had been utterly silent, even for his standards, and while he had been civil to Tazuna's family, after that Sasuke had also steadfastly avoided interaction with them, including both Naruto and Sasuke, often going off by himself alone.

Rubbing soap onto a cup, Sakura sighed. She didn't want to prod Sasuke, but it was obvious that something was bothering him, and she didn't feel comfortable leaving him to stew with his thoughts, either. Sakura had told the blond that she didn't know what had caused Sasuke's change in demeanour – but in honesty, she had had a few ideas. Seeing the Sharingan on Kakashi probably had brought back some memories that Sasuke wouldn't have particularly wanted to recall, not to mention that Sakura and Naruto had almost explicitly abandoned Sasuke while they faced Zabuza. While Sasuke had still played a critical role through throwing the fūma shuriken, something about that rubbed her off the wrong way, too, the way that his eyes had burned with displeasure, forcing some memories of Sasuke that _she_ hadn't particularly wanted to recall, as well.

Sakura turned as Naruto entered the kitchen, and lightly pushed her to the side, picking up a dry towel and wiping the wet dishes clean. Sometimes Sakura forgot that despite all the immaturity Naruto held himself with, he had lived by himself for the most of his life- and she shook her head, "It's fine, Naruto. I'm almost done anyway. You don't have to help-" She trailed off as she noticed the almost solemn look in his eyes, his lips pursed as he placed a dish on the drying rack. "Naruto," she said, "What's wrong?"

The blond hesitated for a few seconds, before asking, "Is the bastard okay?"

Sakura's eyebrows rose. Considering the sheer number of times that they had argued and complained about each other, it was the first time that Naruto had ever asked about Sasuke's well-being, and as he bit his lip Sakura had realised why Naruto seemed to be more concerned than he ever should have been at what could be passed as just one of Sasuke's mood swings. Naruto confirmed her suspicions when he continued, "He's been that way ever since we fought Zabuza." _And saw Kakashi's Sharingan_. The rest of the sentence went unspoken, but it lay thick between them, and Sakura swallowed as the implications of Naruto's words dawned on her. She looking down, chewing over her reply.

The Uchiha massacre wasn't an event that people went off speaking about casually – in fact, people rather _avoided_ it, walking past the empty Uchiha compound as if it didn't exist, the tragedy and death and horror of it only hanging over them, unacknowledged. In some ways, it made Sasuke's name more heavy-weighted, some adults desperate to pretend that he was simply a normal, talented boy, and some unable to approach him, not knowing how to deal with the sole survivor of an entire genocide.

To their generation, most of whom had been much too young to understand what happened, it had been only explained as a Very Bad Event, a tragic happening where one of the Uchiha lost their mind, killed the entirety of his clan, and escaped. The exact details about the murderer's identity, including the fact that he was Sasuke's brother were only told at each of the children's parents' discretion – for example, Sakura had no doubt that the Hyuugas had told Hinata and Neji the gritty technicalities about Itachi's relation to Sasuke – but as an orphan Sakura wasn't quite sure how much Naruto knew at this stage, whether he had found out from Sasuke at a later time, or he had known from the start.

"He just probably has a lot on his mind," Sakura told him, and the blond nodded, his brows furrowing. No matter what kind of relationship Naruto and Sasuke might have now, Naruto was easily one of the most empathetic people she knew, and he probably hadn't been able to ignore an issue as sensitive and particularly relevant to Naruto such as the death of the family bothering his teammate.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, and his voice had dropped, almost sounding guilty for even speaking his next words. "Kakashi-sensei isn't- isn't the bastard's family, right?"

"No," Sakura answered, rinsing the last dish and quietly closing the tap.

Naruto looked anxious. "But Sasuke said that it was his clan's bloodline. His eye-"

She knew where Naruto was going with this, knew what he wanted to ask – _how did he get it?_ – and knew the answer, but unable to tell him, Sakura only made a neutral sound. The Fourth Shinobi War had practically stripped Kakashi emotionally naked for everyone to see, and the crushed look on his face had cut through all their hearts as Obito revealed himself, the Sharingan in his eye matching Kakashi's perfectly. Sakura couldn't imagine the feeling of having inadvertently killing his teammate, then finding out that his other teammate, whom he had believed had died saving his life – had actually been alive, and driven crazy with hate because of his very actions. A vicious chain of death and hate and guilt, and it clenched her heart every time she thought about it, the sadness and self-loathing she saw seeping through the cracks of Kakashi's mask whenever he thought no one was looking. "I'm sure he has his reasons," Sakura said. "Kakashi-sensei doesn't seem like a bad person."

At Sakura's firm tone, Naruto glanced at Kakashi, unconscious on a futon, near the wall of the living room, and his expression seemed to soften, his eyes trusting. "Yeah. You're probably right, Sakura-chan."

* * *

Sakura couldn't sleep.

Naruto was lightly snoring beside her, his leg peeking out of the sleeping bag and Sasuke was silent in his own corner, facing the wall, but Sakura could only stare blankly into the darkness. Every time she closed her eyes her arms felt heavy as if they could still feel Kakashi's weight on them, and the memories, of Sasuke's broken laughs and Naruto's bleeding form kept flashing through her mind and she would always wake, shifting in frustration. Sakura wasn't unfamiliar with nightmares, having had only avoided them in the war due to her constant adrenaline and exerting herself to the point that sleep was more like passing out rather than true rest, but once she travelled back in time and got a slight more peace of mind, they had started up again. Mildly, at first, then growing until she would get sick of trying to sleep.

The third time Sakura woke up during the night she stood up to get a glass of water, silently moving about as not to wake her teammates, when she stepped into the lounge and almost onto Kakashi's face. She reeled back just in time, placing her foot back down. Kakashi was lying quite luxuriously in the only spare futon the family had, but his pained expression and rather limp limbs suffering from chakra deletion had seen a dire need to it.

As Sakura looked down at him, illuminated by the moonlight, Kakashi's brows furrowed in discomfort, his lips beneath the mask twisting, and Sakura instinctively crouched down, wanting to help. Once the body ran out of chakra below a certain level, it went through a period of forced recuperation, working into overdrive and causing fever, muscle fatigue, nausea, unconsciousness, and so on, and while Sakura wouldn't say that Kakashi was anywhere close to being completely powerless, it was obvious that he wasn't exactly in his best state, either.

Sakura swallowed, and reached out towards his abdomen. She might not be able to physically replenish his chakra, but she could at least ease the symptoms. Kakashi might wake, or even try to resist, but she couldn't just leave him like this, obviously suffering. The truth was that she wanted to place her hands on his Sharingan, and relax the veins, where the real issue was coming from, but a foreign chakra in such a sensitive place would surely jerk him awake instantly.

Laying her palms on his chest she pushed chakra through her hands slowly as not to suddenly overwhelm him, and a small huff escaped her at how familiar the action felt, Kakashi chakra-exhausted and her sighing in exasperation, and yet unable to ignore him. She heard him release a soft sigh as she loosened his muscles, and she continued that way for a while until Kakashi's body convulsively tensed, and suddenly gloved fingers were sliding around her wrist, pulling her hand away.

Her gaze snapped towards his face, and though his expression was shrouded in the darkness from her position, Sakura thought she could make out a grey eye, bleary and squinting. Sakura could feel his fingers shake minutely, and she freed her wrist away from his grip, laying his hand at his side instead. No matter how strong there was no ninja who could best chakra exhaustion, and since the first night was always the hardest, and Sakura knew that he was struggling to stay awake at all.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, holding up her hands, the green of her chakra luminous. "I'm just he-"

Kakashi breathed, once, then his voice, low and raspy, cut through her words. "Who _are_ you?"

Her mouth instantly went dry, and feeling her heart begin to thud, Sakura swallowed thickly. From the way the words had almost torn themselves from Kakashi's mouth Sakura knew that it must have been a question that had stewed in Kakashi's mind for a while, and despite the confusion she saw in his eyes she knew that he hadn't meant it literally- but he looked so stricken, she thought, why did he look so- _lost_ \- like he was seeing something _beyon_ d her-

Sakura looked down at her glowing fingers, and had a fleeting thought wanting to _punch_ him, punch the doubt and mistrust and ignorance out of him. She loathed this, constantly skirting around Kakashi, unable to relax around him, unable to talk to him, unable to joke with him like she always used to. Facing unfamiliarity reflected back at her whenever she saw him.

Her expression turning steely, she raised her head- but when she looked back at Kakashi, his body had gone slack again, and his eye closed, back into unconsciousness. The knot in her chest tightened, and she buried her face into her hands, her fingers clenching into tight fists on his chest. "Sakura, Kakashi-sensei," she answered, "It's _me_."

* * *

When Sakura returned to their room, Sasuke wasn't there.

Naruto still was, now completely out of his sleeping bag and bunching it about him, but the space where Sasuke used to be was empty, and the curtains of the window above it had been drawn, leaving moonlight to filter through. Sakura turned, and padded back out, this time sure to not disturb Kakashi as she went over to the porch and exited the house. Despite the late hours the moon was large and bright, and searching from the trees it wasn't that hard to find Sasuke, sitting at a clearing not so far away.

Silently, and without permission Sakura dropped down beside him. Sasuke didn't look surprised as his eyes slid towards her, but looked away without any acknowledgment. She had almost expected Sasuke to snap at her to leave him alone, but he only continued to stared into the distance. Yet, his face was dark, a furrow etched between his brows.

She quietly sat down next to him. "I was looking for you," she said. "Couldn't sleep?"

Sasuke remained quiet for a few moments before he spoke up, the grey light of the moon making his pale skin appear like marble and his eyes uncharacteristically bright. "I could say the same for you." He gave her a sideways look.

Sakura had spent maybe half an hour or so by Kakashi's side, and she imagined Sasuke, waking up and seeing her sleeping bag empty. "I was-"

"I saw what you were doing," he said, "Healing Kakashi."

She let a moment pass in silence before she answered. "I can't heal chakra exhaustion," she said. "Just helping him relax."

Sasuke didn't say anything to that, and silence descended again. Sakura bit her lip. She didn't know why it was so hard to carry a conversation with Sasuke – in the past she had simply babbled on and on about everything and anything – but now that she was older, she could actually guess at the things that he was stewing on, and it made it more difficult to talk to him in a way, wanting him to open up but unsure of how much she should be talking to him, about what she should be talking to him. Should she talk to him about the Sharingan? Was that going too quick? But they weren't _that_ close, yet- Sakura took a breath. "Are you alright?"

Sasuke did look at her, then, sharply. "Why do you ask that?"

"You kept disappearing," Sakura said, raising her eyes to meet his. But Sasuke quickly turned away, and she was reminded of how Sasuke had almost _jerked_ away from her when she tried to take Kakashi from him, moving out of the way. "Did I do something wrong?"

Sasuke's expression twisted, as it had when Naruto and she had left him behind, and Sakura knew that she was right in assuming that it must have bothered him. "You shouldn't have faced Zabuza with the Dobe," Sasuke finally said, his voice laced with displeasure. "He's not strong enough to take ninja like that on, and you're too obsessed with his safety to fend for yourself."

Sakura's brows furrowed. _Obsessed with his safety?_ "Naruto's fine," she said, "And I was only trying to watch his back."

"Right." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "By paving a flower path for the Dobe to daintily skip through so he can get a taste of adventure while you nearly get killed in the process."

The words cut too far and too close too quickly, the implications both about herself and Naruto harsh, and Sakura instinctively bit back, "Naruto has more potential than you could ever imagine. And I was handling myself fine." At Sasuke's disbelieving scoff, she felt her brows draw. "If this is because we left you behind, Sasuke, I'm-"

Sasuke cut her off, then, standing up. "Do you think it wasn't obvious? The way you kept grabbing his jumpsuit and flinging him around, away from anything that _barely_ constituted as danger?" He looked vaguely disgusted, shaping each syllable patronisingly.

Also rising, Sakura reeled. "I- What are you talking about?" Her face scrunched, and despite herself the image of her hands, consistently reaching towards Naruto, pulling, pushing, tugging – flashed through her mind.

At her confused expression Sasuke looked away, and Sakura couldn't tell if the frustration flitting through his eyes were aimed at her or at himself. "You were the one angry with _me_ ," he snapped. "After I threw the fūma shuriken. Do you think I couldn't tell?"

Thinking back, and staring at Sasuke's bitter expression Sakura's eyes widened – after Sasuke had thrown the weapon, she had had to take a moment to calm herself down, that she had neither thanked him nor talked to him, simply turning away towards Naruto. But it hadn't exactly been because she was angry, it hadn't- It just had been- the _memories_ , of Sasuke, and the plump, red drops of blood that falling from Naruto's whiskered cheeks that at the moment she had _had_ to look away- But to think that Sasuke had _noticed_ \- "Sasuke," she started ruefully, "I wasn't-"

But Sasuke ignored her, narrowing his eyes. "At that rate that sword would have sliced through your arm. And if he was any half-decent ninja, then he would have dodged it. But you don't seem to know that, do you?" Sasuke's stare was hard on her face, and he spat, "You aren't the Dobe's mother. You need stop babying him."

Sakura swallowed. _Babying_ him? Surely she wasn't-

A sharp crunch of a twig breaking cracked through their conversation, and as both their heads simultaneously snapped towards the foliage, Sakura saw a brief blur of yellow and orange darting away from the trees. Her eyes wide, she turned back to Sasuke, to see that his eyes were similarly fixed on the tree, the barest hint of contrition on his face.

* * *

Sasuke watched Sakura run, the pink of her disappear into the woods without even sparing him a backwards look. He scowled, and ran a hand through his hair. This wasn't how he had wanted the conversation to turn out – not that he had even _had_ an idea as to how he wanted it to go, but it definitely wasn't _this_ , a stricken look on her pale face and turning on her heels at the sight of Naruto.

At first, when she had smiled encouragingly at the blond, Sasuke had known that Sakura was probably conscious of Naruto's frustration with himself for having frozen up when the Mist-nin came. It didn't stop the swamp of irritation that crawled on him as he watched Sakura and Naruto's backs as they darted forward, and he had gritted his teeth as Tazuna grabbed at his shirt – but he had at least understood where she was coming from.

Then it had turned downright ridiculous, the way she had been acting – constantly stretching an arm out towards Naruto, half of her attention divided onto the blond. Pushing him this way and that – Sasuke had almost wanted to shake the girl, tell her to make her mind up, _did she want Naruto to have a chance to fight or not?_

And when he had thrown the fūma shuriken after she had put herself in a vulnerable position for pulling Naruto out of the way – _again_ – Sasuke had known that the blond was precariously in the way, but god _damn_ it, if the blond had any of the reflexes that even the least talented genin should have, then he knew that Naruto should be fine. Maybe a cut here or there, but definitely not life-threatening.

But Sakura's _response_ – like he had committed some sin, like she was _blaming_ him, her stare wide and disbelieving on his form, looking away like she couldn't bear to look at him anymore, eyes running worriedly along the edges of Naruto's cheek instead – and Sasuke had thought, was this girl _stupid_? She had almost been cut in _half_ -

Then he had woken up to find her, again, bent over Kakashi's form, hands glowing bright, brows knitted in concentration and it had felt like a realisation – why it felt so foreign, why he had felt so averse to the expression on her face-

 _Constantly,_ Sasuke thought, and grit his teeth. _Constantly helping, protecting_. _Constantly. Everywhere._

* * *

Sakura ran, in the direction that she had seen the shade of orange flicker. Had Naruto been listening? Her heart thudded, and she bit her lip, feeling frustration well up inside her – what was she _doing_? Getting in fights with Sasuke, making Naruto hear it, what was she _doing_? Had Sasuke been right? Had she been overly protective of Naruto? _Had_ she? Or was it simply his bitterness at having been left out?

Tazuna's house came into view, and Sakura leapt up, silently, onto the windowsill, checking if Naruto was there – and her eyes widened when she saw the blond, on the floor, rolled over and facing the wall. _He's here_ , Sakura thought, and slid the window open, dropping inside the room. _Was it not him?_ Her footsteps soft, she approached him, stopping just short of his back, and crouching over his form. Naruto's eyes were closed, and breathing even – but Sakura felt her heart drop when she skimmed her fingers across the fabric of his jumpsuit, and found it cold.

Kakashi woke up at first light, squinting his eyes against the sharp rays. His head was thrumming, and he frowned, vaguely remembering Sakura's face, hands glowing a bright green – and wondered if the image he had seen reflected in her pale eyes, of Sasuke, his hand reached out towards her, mid-snarl and palm crackling with electricity – had been but a dream.

* * *

A/N: Hello - yes, I am aware that this chapter was posted quite later than usual. I'd been playing around with how regularly I could upload, and I managed doing it weekly for 5 weeks or so – but once exams started to approach I've been finding less and less time to write. I'll still aspire to upload between one to two weeks – but please understand if I do upload late. That being said, I do also take this story seriously, and writing it is a form of taking a break for me, so it won't put too far back on my priority list.

Not sure if anyone noticed – but I have put Team 7 as the main characters listed in the profile of this story instead. To Serendipithy – whose love for Sai made me laugh as I read your review, the truth is when I was first selecting the characters to appear as "main"s, I had been very disappointed at the fact that I couldn't put 5 separate characters. Which is why I had initially left out Sai. But reading your review made me realise that that was horribly unfair for Sai – who will be taking one of the major roles in the story along with all other members of Team 7 – which is why I went back and changed the tags. I'm sorry, Sai!

As always, thank you very much for your support – it's always great fun to read about your thoughts and comments in the reviews. I do truly believe that a writer-reader relationship is a two-way street, and I find that your thoughts do shape my story in ways that I don't think I would have considered moving them before in.


	7. The Land of Waves II

When Sakura awoke, it was past dawn, and Sasuke hadn't returned.

Or if he had, she thought, he had left again even before first light rose.

She swallowed back a sigh, and turned towards Naruto. He was still sleeping, his back stubbornly turned against her, but now his breathing was calm and steady enough for her to know that this time, his rest was genuine.

The night before Sakura had spent a long time simply staring at Naruto's back, the chill of his sleeve yet hovering on her fingertips. She had wanted to talk to him, but had been unable to drum up the courage. What would she have done? Rouse him up from his pretend sleep and ask if he had been listening to her and Sasuke's conversation? If Naruto had taken the effort to go as far as to feign sleep, then that meant he didn't want to talk to her, and if that was the case, Sakura hadn't wanted to _force_ him to.

She wondered just how much he had heard – it wasn't exactly as though they had been badmouthing him, but when Sakura put herself into his shoes and imagined walking in on Naruto and Sasuke arguing about _babying_ her – the feeling of sheer humiliation and distress slamming into her had been devastating.

Sakura stood, and padded across the room towards the window. It was open, leaving cold wind to push through, Sasuke's sleeping bag empty beneath it. She stepped over it, and quietly slid the window shut. This was always how Sasuke left, Sakura thought, a dull ache in her chest. Silently, but coldly, with a gaping hole in between.

She clenched her jaw. There was no use being dramatic – what mattered was _now_ , and she needed to learn how to differentiate between her past and the present. She had to fix whatever she had made go wrong – she had returned to make things better, not to accelerate its ruin.

Where had she misstepped? Sakura knew that she had had to consolidate Team 7's bonds as much as possible before the Chūnin Exams, before Sasuke encountered Itachi, before he could consider leaving Konoha. It was the only way to make Sasuke stay voluntarily, it wouldn't be possible to strap down a tempest like him by force. She had wanted to protect him and Naruto, let them know that they could rely on her this time around, and for that it had been necessary to establish a place in the team, assert her strength.

But that had put a fissure between Naruto and Sasuke. Not to mention the obstacle she hadn't envisioned – _"You aren't the Dobe's mother,"_ – had she been wrong? Should she have let Naruto be? If she thought back to it, even in their original timeline Naruto had succeeded in distracting Zabuza, hadn't he? He had worked together with Sasuke, for the first time…

The pang of guilt was stronger. Painful. In a way, Sasuke had been right. She'd needed to watch herself. Travelling back in time was like throwing a stone in a lake – the ripples were wide-spreading, sometimes tumultuous. Her actions would impact others – their relationships, their emotions, their _memories-to-be_. In this timeline, when Sasuke looked back on his memories with Team 7, their encounter of Zabuza would not be a remembrance of his first teamwork with Naruto, but a memory of humiliation, of rejection, of an argument.

It was her responsibility to act selectively, and appropriately. Leave the warm ones, the ones of happiness, the ones of love. Leave the ones of friendship, of growth. Choose the ones of anger, the ones of sadness, the ones of grief, and rewrite. Rewrite, and reweave.

But how could she know where the chain of wretchedness started? The truth was that to avoid all despair, she should have had prevented the Uchiha massacre, should have prevented the Kyūbi's attack, should have prevented Obito's death- The chain rose up, up, up into the past, and spread and multiplied like a spider's web. How could she know which link to cut, which link to leave, which link to reconnect?

Still, there was no doubt that her actions thus far had impacted the team's balance negatively. Should she lean back from now on? Leave Sasuke and Naruto at the frontlines again? Let them develop by themselves? Work things out by themselves? But how would that change things? That would simply be reliving the past – not to mention her aversion to it, deep and coiled in her gut – she wouldn't let herself be left behind this time, not again-

She took a breath. _Balance_ , Sakura, she thought. _Balance. Don't step up. Don't fall behind. Don't-_

Sakura bit her lip, her hand instinctively going to press at her temples. _It's hard, shishō_ , she thought. _It's hard._

When she stepped out of the room, it was like Kakashi had been waiting for her.

He was sitting up on his futon, his legs facing in the direction of their room. He had colour back in his face, she noted, as his gaze moved away from the front porch towards her, his hair oddly bright in the pale light of the sun. "Good morning," he greeted, and she felt her chest constrict nervously.

The image of Kakashi's lost expression and the feeling of his hand, clammy around her arm flashed before her, and Sakura pretended to straighten her shirt as she stamped it down. Her smile was natural when she raised her eyes. "Morning, Kakashi-sensei," she said. "How are you feeling?"

She couldn't help the next string of thoughts that washed up to her mind. _Do you remember what happened last night? Then, please don't ask me about it. At this rate, I'm so desperate for guidance that if you interrogated me now, I might be tempted to tell you the truth._

It was as if Kakashi heeded her unspoken request, or perhaps, he really didn't recall the events of the night before, and he simply responded with a: "Fine. Where's the rest?"

"Naruto's asleep," she said, "And Sasuke-" Sakura faltered slightly, but quickly continued when she saw Kakashi catch her stutter, the look in his eyes turning thoughtful. "He's probably outside."

"Aren't both of you a couple of early-birds," Kakashi said, and something about his tone that Sakura couldn't quite identify sounded off. "And where are you going now?"

"I thought I'd go for a walk. Some fresh air."

Kakashi nodded. "Don't stay out too long," he said. "We have things to do."

* * *

Kakashi watched Sakura go, slide open the door and patter out. Then he turned his gaze onto his lap, his orange book frayed but unopened on his thigh.

 _This is what you have done to me, Sandaime_ , he thought as he placed a hand over its cover. _Look, I'm not even reading._

Instead Kakashi thought back to Sakura's worried expression, turning surprised, then hurt when he had grabbed her arm, the comforting glow of her chakra – then seeing into her eyes, _feeling_ the crackling of electricity in the air, _hearing_ Sasuke's snarl.

 _Again_ , he had thought, when he awoke only to find himself alone, the door to his students' room shut tight. _Visions again_. He had spent a moment wondering if it had been all but a dream, but Sakura's chakra had felt undoubtedly _real_ – warm but foreign in his system. Not to mention his body felt lighter than what he normally would have expected after a night of exhaustion. That confirmed Sakura had done _something_ , at the very least.

 _But the vision…_ The first time he could dismiss, check it off as an odd daydream of a scarred old man – but twice, and the suspicions solidified. It had to be Sakura – Sakura who brought the visions, she who crafted a visage so powerful that it affected all senses. The only discrepancy was that she herself didn't seem to be aware of them. Was she pretending? Were they intentional? A by-product? An unknown bloodline? A genjutsu? Of what purpose? As far as he could tell, the visions hadn't had a notable impact on him.

Sakura had looked normal, he thought. Sleep-deprived, distracted, as if something were laying heavy on her mind, but he could account that on the encounter with Zabuza. A genin team meeting a nuke-nin on its first C-rank – it was laughable. But she had also not mentioned what happened last night at all. Would a normal student not talk about it? Kakashi tried to imagine the girl, grin proud and eyes bright. _I healed you, Kakashi-sensei. Don't you feel so much better?_ He shook his head. _No_ , he thought. _Perhaps not._

He remembered her voice skipping over Sasuke's name, eyes flickering uncertainly. Had something else happened between the team while he had been unconscious? He thought of Sakura and Naruto darting forth, Tazuna gripping Sasuke's shirt and Sasuke, turning agitatedly on the bridge-builder.

Kakashi sighed, slumping against the wall, and closed his eyes.

In the darkness, he could see Sasuke again, black eyes raw and form dark as he stood before him, minutes before sunrise. Kakashi hadn't been surprised by the confrontation. In a way, he had almost expected it.

 _Hello, Sasuke._

 _You aren't an Uchiha._

 _No._

 _But your eye._

 _Yes, my eye. My greatest regret. The last sacrifice of the best man I've ever known._

* * *

When Team 7 assembled at the clearing Kakashi had directed them to at breakfast, the tension was palpable in the air.

Sasuke had only returned from wherever he had gone off to when the family was preparing breakfast, and he had done his best to completely, and utterly ignore everyone that wasn't a direct relative of Tazuna's, while Naruto had been almost painfully normal, with disastrous bed-hair and a sleepy grin.

Sakura had found herself nearly wishing that Naruto would get angry at her, confront her or at least demand why Sasuke and she had been talking about him behind his back – but he had kept on smiling, _Good morning, Sakura-chan_ – to an extent that she had wanted to hit herself. Anger, resentment, she could deal with, but this, him pretending that nothing had happened, and her, flitting around him anxiously – was unbearable. Especially because in her time, Naruto was never one to avoid a confrontation, never one to keep things simmering under the surface, never the one to be anything but brutally honest – and he had been the one that had taught her the value of it all.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek as she glanced at Naruto, then at Sasuke – both standing close by her sides and yet appearing irreparably far. There was no questioning it, she thought. She would have to talk to them. It was a problem that she had started – she would end it. If Naruto or Sasuke wouldn't come to her, then she would go to them.

With that thought, she defiantly looked up at Kakashi – who had been staring at the trio with his brows raised, no doubt having picked up on the tense atmosphere. Thankfully, he didn't seem inclined to comment. "Well," he said lightly. "Glad to see all of you bright and chipper today."

"Why are we even here, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto finally asked, brows furrowing. "Shouldn't you be like resting or something?"

"We may be at Waves, Naruto, and I may be on crutches," he waved one disapprovingly at the blond, "but that's no excuse to skip out on training now, is it?" Shifting, he smiled. "Not to mention I have some bad news for you guys."

"You always smile when you have bad stuff to tell us," Naruto grumbled. "It's weird, Kakashi-sensei."

"Something nice to balance it out with," his eyes crinkled, "Don't you think?"

Sasuke scoffed quietly, and Kakashi's smile fell. "Though I have to admit this is a little bit more serious," he said, and paused a little before continuing. "I have reasonable evidence to believe that Zabuza is still alive."

" _What?_ " Naruto exclaimed, his eyes wide, and while Sakura simply swallowed, having fully expected the news, she sensed Sasuke's gaze also snap to jōnin. "But that guy – with the mask," the blond said, his voice disbelieving. "He killed him! With the senbon!"

"At first glance, yes." Kakashi rubbed his mask contemplatively. "But when I thought back to it, there was something quite strange." He seemed to be unbothered by the unease spreading through the team, and cheerily said, "This is a rather good opportunity for some real-life application of the observational skills you guys learnt at the Academy, actually. Can anyone tell me what?" Naruto and Sasuke remained silent, and Sakura startled as Kakashi's grey eye slid towards her. "Well, Sakura? Do you think you can tell us what it is?"

Sakura hesitated, glancing at her teammates. Naruto was stubbornly facing forward, while Sasuke had turned away from her. "I-" She pursed her lips, and looked down. "I don't know," she said. "I'm sorry."

"I see," Kakashi said, and when she slowly raised her head again to meet his eyes, there was an odd look that resembled disappointment on his face. "Well, I suppose I didn't expect a genin to realise. It might do you guys some good to keep this in mind, however. Firstly," he held up a finger, "Hunter-nins destroy the body as soon as their targets are dead." He raised another. "Secondly, senbons usually incapacitate, not kill."

"So," Sasuke said, his voice low, and it was the first time Sakura had heard him speak all morning, "the Kiri-nin. He was an accomplice?"

"Most likely," Kakashi agreed, and Sakura could see Sasuke's scowl deepening, could sense Naruto's fists clenching and unclenching beside her, no doubt remembering the cold killing intent of the nuke-nin.

She hoped she was imagining the anticipation she could feel welling up inside the blond.

* * *

Naruto climbed the tree as if he was scared of hurting it, and Sasuke climbed the tree like he wanted to break through it. The blond had too little chakra at his feet, ironic beyond words considering his massive reserves, and kept slipping off the bark, while Sasuke continued to rebound off of it, each time leaving a deep footprint. His problem was that he had too _much_ chakra – in some ways, Sakura supposed it was fitting, a reflection of the catastrophe of emotions he usually kept tightly restrained within himself.

Sakura, of course, had cleared the tree easily in one go. She supposed it wasn't too strange – after all, even in her youth she had had perfect chakra control – and considering her prior displays of strength and medical ninjutsu, it wouldn't have made any sense for her to have trouble. While Sasuke didn't look too surprised, seemingly having come to terms with her abilities from before – he had appeared to be much more upset at the fact that he was having more difficulty himself. Naruto had only gaped, before his face had grown steely, quietly turning back to his tree.

Sakura resisted the urge to sigh. It wasn't that she was disappointed at Naruto's lack of loud appreciation, but rather concerned about what it implied – she was sure, that in the past, Naruto had been openly admiring – _That's amazing, Sakura-chan!_

In a way, it was inevitable. Shinobi were creatures of war and every offspring of such bloodshed was lathered with pride and liked to win, and especially for those like Naruto and Sasuke, who had exceptional reasons for motivation- It couldn't be helped. But before, she had never been subject to such feelings of rivalry.

In the past, she had been almost bitter at the support – bitter at the encouragements compared to the seething competitiveness that Naruto and Sasuke would hold towards each other at one's improvement. _Like encouraging a little kid_ , she had thought, _because they know I'd never be able to threaten their position, anyway._

But now that both Naruto and Sasuke were wary of her abilities, she wasn't sure if she was entirely comfortable with that, either.

The sudden movement at the feet of her tree jolted her out of her reverie and Sakura peeked down as Kakashi lazily pointed a crutch towards the boys. "Come on, Naruto, Sasuke," Kakashi drawled, "A _girl_ can do it." At the obvious goading, Sasuke simply rolled his eyes while Naruto let out an extra-loud shout before sprinting up the bark.

Frowning, Sakura jumped down beside him. "That was sexist," she told him blandly, ignoring Kakashi's placating eye-smile. "The reason why I have great chakra control isn't because I'm a girl."

"I know," Kakashi conceded. "It's because you're an _exceptional_ student, Sakura." He gestured towards the two boys pointedly, who were still struggling with getting past the third of way up on their respective trees. "I just thought the jab might work better."

Sakura made a dissatisfied sound, and sitting down, patted the space beside her. "You should sit down, sensei."

Kakashi turned his head to look at her, the line of his eye mildly annoyed. "I'm chakra-exhausted, not disabled, Sakura."

"I know," Sakura said, mimicking his tone from before. "And I don't care. You collapsed in front of us, sensei. I want you already on the floor if that happens again so I don't have to catch you."

With a small shake of his head, he followed her instructions, settling the crutches on the other side of himself. There was a minute or so of silence before Kakashi spoke up.

"Why did you lie?"

Sakura inhaled sharply, trying to compose herself as she searched the meaning behind his words. "What do you mean, sensei?"

"At my question. About why Zabuza wasn't dead." He looked at her, then, and Sakura also turned towards him in surprise, having expected him to bring up her medical-ninjutsu, or the like. "You knew, didn't you?"

"I-" She frowned. Had she been that noticeable? "I did."

"I would say that you didn't want to appear as a show-off, but you've already shown off quite a few skills that are unquestionably abnormal for your age. Why lie about such a small thing now?"

Sakura bit her lip. Kakashi was behaving uncharacteristically like a teacher – as far as she was concerned, in the past, he had never bothered to ask after something as trivial as this – and especially not towards her. There were far more pressing things that he could have asked her about. She glanced at Naruto and Sasuke, oblivious in their training but still only a few metres away. Was this a way of sussing her out without causing a scene?

But Kakashi didn't look suspicious of her, only expectant. Sakura released a breath. She had lied as much as she could in the past week or so – if Kakashi wanted to confront her, he would do it whenever he saw fit. There was no use trying to figure him out now.

"I suppose you're right, sensei," she finally said. "I didn't want to look like a show-off."

He raised an eyebrow. "After obliterating the block of wood and telling me you can perform medical-ninjutsu?"

"That was different," she said. "Beside the fact that I would have gotten squashed by the beam-"

"You wouldn't have," Kakashi interrupted. "I would have saved you. You should have known that."

"Well, I didn't!" She snapped before continuing, while Kakashi appeared somewhat amused. " _Besides_ that, I didn't want Naruto and Sasuke to look down on me. Or you," she said firmly. She was only too aware of how much attention Kakashi had given her in the past, either not knowing what to do with her or having deemed her of having inadequate potential. She strongly suspected it was the latter. "I wanted to show that I was someone that the team could rely on."

He seemed surprised by her reply. "And now?"

"Now..." She chewed over her words. "I also don't want to rise above them."

Kakashi nodded, turning away just to catch a glimpse of Naruto falling from his tree, and Sasuke cursing at his own. "Interesting," he said, once he had established the boys were nowhere close to clearing the training. "Tell me, why did you decide to be a shinobi, Sakura?"

Sakura let out a small laugh despite herself. "Why the twenty questions, sensei?"

He shrugged. "Is it so bad to want to know more about my student?"

 _Yes._ The sentiment rose before she could push it down yet again. _Are you interested because you think I'm suspicious, or because I'm suddenly talented? Are you like Sasuke? Am I in your sight now?_ "No," she said. "I suppose not. I'll answer if you promise that you owe me answers to two of my _own_ questions."

"As long as they aren't classified, Sakura."

She mulled over her answer, trying to imagine how she might have answered in her youth. _To be special. To be with Sasuke-kun._ She really hadn't had an idea about what it was like to be a shinobi – growing up under parents who were low-ranked ninja, hadn't known the deaths and sadness and horror the profession entailed. Hadn't known the loyalty, the selflessness, the pain. Hadn't known the bonds, the teamwork, the hurt and the comfort. While it wouldn't do to give Kakashi unnaturally deep answers that she wouldn't be able to form at this age, it wouldn't do to give superficial answers all of a sudden, either.

 _To protect the village._ The ideal answer. But for her, who sacrificed the legacy of Konoha to return in time, Sakura supposed, a lie.

 _To…_

 _Sakura, leave me. Don't waste your chakra. Go find Naruto and Sasuke._

 _Kakashi-no, I-_

 _Please, let me at least do this for you._

"If something happens, Kakashi-sensei," she said at last, and for once, she put all her unadulterated honesty and heart behind her words towards him, towards the Kakashi of this timeline. "Then I want to be the one to protect the people I love. I won't be the among those who didn't fight and survived until the end."

There was a hush, then, Kakashi's face unreadable, but she could see him swallow, as if something was lodged in his throat. Sakura stared at him, sitting equally still. She wondered if it had been too much – an answer unsuitable, one that would raise suspicions – but he had asked a question, and she had given him an answer, an answer honest and true enough only because he was Kakashi. _That's fine_ , she thought. _This is my truth. If there's one thing I know – lies only make more lies. And I have lied. Lied about the foundations of my existence. This is the least I can do. To open myself to Kakashi._

After a while, the jōnin finally moved, looking as though he wanted to say something. "Sakura, I-"

He was cut off by an exceptionally loud crash, one that was accompanied by a shout harsher than most that followed Naruto or Sasuke when they fell. Their heads both snapping towards the boys, Sakura saw Naruto on the ground, and Sasuke standing beside him, his brows drawn. Groaning, Naruto staggered up, thick droplets of blood dripping from his palm. His kunai had lodged itself near the blond, the blade of it slick with red.

"Looks like he cut himself on the way down," Kakashi said, and Sakura immediately rose, running towards Naruto.

Kakashi watched the white circle of her shirt flutter as she went. "Interesting," he said, again, quietly.

* * *

"Naruto! Are you okay?"

Naruto turned towards her like a deer caught in headlights, and Sakura instinctively stopped a few steps away from him, noting his unwelcoming expression. "Sakura-chan…" He clenched his hand into a fist, as to hide the injury, but the blood continued to seep between his fingers, colouring them red. "Yeah," Naruto said. "I'm fine. I just fell."

Sakura swallowed, trying to stop herself from reaching out towards him. _Steady, Sakura. He won't like it if I-_

But the blood was collecting, now, the small puddle beneath him steadily growing. _I can't see how deep the cut is_ , she thought worriedly. "Your hand," she ventured cautiously. "Did you cut it?"

"It's nothing," Naruto quickly said, and grinned pacifyingly at her, but it was one she could easily see through. "Just a small nick."

"Right." Sakura shifted her feet. This would be where she would retreat, Naruto and Sasuke would return to training, and the Kyūbi would probably handle his injury in due time. But she couldn't help the frustration that welled up inside of her, that she couldn't even heal her teammates because she was afraid it would _humiliate him_ – _how stupid_ , she thought, wanting nothing more than to break something. _All my fault_.

Sakura glanced up at the blond's tree. Past halfway. But he _was_ improving. Very quickly. Much faster than she remembered. The ground at the foot of the tree was littered with countless footsteps, more than she would have expected in the short span of time Naruto had been left alone to practice. Was it because of what happened last night?

With a start, she realised in this timeline, Naruto hadn't even asked for her advice.

She looked over to Sasuke's tree. Not quite two-thirds. Unsurprising, but he, too, was improving faster.

Then Sasuke moved, catching her eye as he leaned down and pulled out Naruto's kunai from the soil. The blade slipped free, and he handed it handle-first to Naruto, who took it with more than little surprise at Sasuke's actions. "Th-thanks," Naruto said, grasping it with his uninjured hand. With that, Sasuke began to walk away from them.

"Go back and keep chatting with Kakashi, Sakura," he said, without looking at her. When he reached the foot of his tree, he glanced at her over his shoulder with a crude smirk. "Or are you that paranoid we're catching up so quickly that you can't leave?"

The unexpected comment rose up against the tension, and unintentionally Sakura let out a huff of laughter, one that escalated into a smug smile. "Yeah, _right_. I'd expected both of you to clear this already, Sasuke," she added meaningfully, "Naruto."

Sasuke scoffed, and Naruto, who had been looking back and forth between Sasuke and Sakura during their exchange, lit up as Sakura nodded at the blond. "Yeah, go back and just watch me, Sakura-chan!"

And both boys turned away from her, Naruto engaging the tree with a new determination as he carelessly wiped his hand on his jumper, leaving Sakura to cringe at the wide smear of blood against the orange. But something had been taken down, she thought, a wall, the first of the barriers that stood between Sakura and Naruto. Of course, the main issue hadn't been acknowledged yet, but if it weren't for Sasuke, she only would have walked away from him awkwardly. Even it was slight, now Sakura felt it would be somewhat easier to approach him again after training ended.

Walking back towards Kakashi, she smiled to herself.

She would have to thank Sasuke later.

* * *

Team 7 only returned to Tazuna's house an hour or two before dark, the boys continuing their battle with their trees while Kakashi had her doing laps, push-ups, all sorts of physical exercises on the spot to increase her endurance.

"Even Giichi quit. Giichi!" Tazuna was saying as they entered, Inari's mother sitting across of him from the table. "It's not like I _can't_ understand, with a tyrant like Gato hanging over our necks, but still-" He looked up as the genin entered. "Oh, you're back. How are you feeling, Hatake-san?"

"Fine-" Kakashi replied as Sakura forcefully sat him back down on the living room floor. "Sakura!"

"He's feeling much better," Sakura smiled warmly at the family. "It's all thanks to your kind hospitality. But he still needs rest."

"Chakra-exhausted," Kakashi reminded Sakura. "Not disabled."

Tsunami laughed kindly, moving to stand. "In that case, I'd better start to prepare dinner. I'll just quickly drop by the market-"

"We can do it," Sasuke interrupted. "We've imposed too much."

She looked taken aback, but reluctant. "Oh, are you sure? It's really no worry-"

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed exuberantly. "Rest up, Tsunami-san!"

"Well, in that case," Tsunami said gratefully, "I might have a list somewhere…"

Sakura looked at her male teammates in approval, noting how quick Sasuke and Naruto had been to offer. She supposed neither of them was used to such hospitality from others – Sasuke had been nearly deprived of any warm adult company since the massacre, and Naruto was self-explanatory. As Tsunami handed Sasuke the list and some money, she waited for them at the door.

While Tazuna's house was by no means anything to show-off about, its rooms tiny and furniture old, Sakura grimaced as she found that the financial situation of the village seemed to be getting worse the more they neared the central district of Waves.

"People here are so _thin_ ," Naruto whispered, his eyes wide as they passed the begging children, and the listless civilians. "And I thought I was poor…"

It was clear what kind of impact Gato's regime was having on his people. In the past, Sakura had been mortified at the malnourished children, the sight of their protruded ribs and bony legs, and had almost been only desperate to get away from the horror of it all. But now her eyes chased their faces, the look of hopelessness and gloom terrible against their youth, and the pained expressions of the adults who watched them. Even the vendors didn't much better off, equally dejected even as they protected their products from the hungry children. It had been a familiar sight back when the war was going on, but when the lands were peaceful as it were now, such conditions were unforgivable.

She found herself combing through the list of diseases and the health afflictions the people of Waves may have, and before she could grow angry at her inability to help them, she turned away, opting to re-read the grocery list in her hands.

Beside her, Sasuke was swatting the villagers' desperate hands away from the bag of money, looking no happier than her, but remaining silent. Meanwhile, Naruto couldn't seem to be able to tear his eyes away from them. "Sakura-chan," he tugged on her shirt, and she realised he was staring at a brown-haired child slumped against a building, his face buried in his knees, an empty cup in front of him. "Can't we give him some money?"

"No," Sasuke said flatly, and before Naruto could protest indignantly, continued, "We don't have any money of our own. We can't give away Tsunami-san's money without her consent."

Sakura nodded in agreement, and seeing the truth in his words, Naruto deflated. "I wonder what happened in this village to make it like this..."

"Something about a dictatorship," Sasuke said, and he had taken out a kunai and begun twirling it between his fingers. Somehow, Sakura thought it was a way for him to settle his unease rather than to ward the villagers away. "Or at least, that's what Tazuna was saying to Kakashi on our way here."

Sakura blew out a heavy breath. She knew that upon their fight with Zabuza Gato would be removed from power, and Waves would be significantly better off, but seeing the people and imagining the time they must have spent in pain still hurt her heart. "So many people suffering..."

Sasuke pursed his lips. "We better hurry," he said. "It's best we return before nightfall."

Nodding, Sakura hastened her steps, while at her side, Naruto looked down at his hands, then at the boy, and grit his teeth.

* * *

Dinner was an uneventful affair, until Sakura realised that in the past it had been her who brought up the issue of Inari's torn family photograph. While she conceded the necessity of it, she also hated herself for the pain that flooded the young boy's face as Inari threw his chopsticks down, and eyes red, stormed out of the living room. Tsunami was quick to stand after him, sending them apologetic looks before also exiting the room.

"I-I'm sorry," Sakura said immediately, her face rueful. "I must have touched on something personal."

"No," Tazuna shook his head. "Excuse Inari's rude behaviour. The boy's just still in pain about it. That photograph…it was originally of Inari's step-father."

At the mention of family, both Naruto and Sasuke's faces turned dark, the blond leaning forward towards Tazuna. "What happened?"

"Kaiza was a hero," he said. "Both to Inari, and to the people of Waves. He once saved the village from a flood, and Inari's life when he almost drowned. But Gato…" Tazuna grimaced, looking physically pained by the memory. "Kaiza was a symbol of hope for us. He knew that he wouldn't be able to control us under his regime if Kaiza was alive. So he set an example."

"I'm sure that must've shocked Inari very badly," Kakashi said quietly.

Tazuna nodded. "Traumatic," he said. "Look at Waves now. It's not easy to have hope. Kaiza's death showed Inari, and the rest of us that this is reality. There are no heroes in this world."

There was a stretch of silence, then, the atmosphere having turned grim, and Sakura snuck a glance at Naruto. If what she remembered was correct, then the blond should have immediately jumped up at the cynicism, but he was looking down at his palm, and Sakura realised that he was staring at the cut from earlier in the afternoon. It was wide, stretching across the entirety of his hand, not fully healed, but crusted over. Sakura startled as Naruto suddenly raised his head, his brows drawn determinedly.

"Well," Naruto said. "You're wrong."

Tazuna looked taken aback. "What?"

"You're wrong," he persisted. "There _are_ heroes in the world. And I'll _show_ you that you're wrong. You and Inari. Just wait, believe it!" And he jumped up, turned on his heel and ran out of the house, the door slamming closed behind him. Sasuke and Kakashi didn't look surprised, but rather resigned instead, possibly having expected that reaction. Sakura watched him go, glad that whatever that had happened recently hadn't dampened his spirit too much to change the course of his action, but still, she had heard something else in Naruto's voice when he had stood up. Audacity, righteousness, courage…desperation?

It was Kakashi's turn to apologise. "I'm sorry, Tazuna-san. Naruto doesn't mean any harm-"

To everyone's surprise, Tazuna let out a shout of laughter. "Don't apologise, Hatake-san," he said. "I haven't seen such optimism in Waves for a very, very long time." He sighed, his eyes turning wistful. "Only if the boy was right…"

Silence threatened to descend upon them again, and Sakura hurriedly stood. "You should go get some rest, Tazuna-san," she said. "We'll take care of the clean-up. And please tell Tsunami-san our thanks for the dinner. It was delicious."

Sasuke inclined his head beside her, and Tazuna smiled gratefully at them before standing up with a heave and shuffling out of the living room.

Sakura began to stack the empty dishes, leaving Inari and Tsunami's half-eaten bowls aside and moving to the kitchen. "You rest, too, Kakashi-sensei," she called across her shoulder and received an exasperated sound of agreement. Sasuke had retrieved two more dishes from the cupboard, and placed them over the unfinished dishes as to keep them clean until Inari and his mother could return to it.

Then it was almost mechanical, the way he took his position at the sink, before grabbing a towel and turning to ask, "Will you wash, or wipe? It'll be quicker that way."

Sakura gaped at him before quickly regaining her composure and going to stand beside him. "I'll wash."

Sasuke nodded and soundlessly moved aside, making space. Sakura had noted it before with Naruto, as well, but there was no hesitation in the way Sasuke moved, not even a shred of confusion that usually accompanied a young boy in a kitchen. She bit her lip. There had been so many things that she had been unaware of when she was young, Sakura thought. _A boy that age should have known nothing about housework…_

They spent a while in comfortable silence, Sakura soaping and rinsing a dish, Sasuke taking it and wiping it dry before placing it in its respective cupboard. They were almost finished when Sakura steeled herself, and spoke up. "Hey, Sasuke?"

He didn't reply, but raised an eyebrow in question.

"I wanted to thank you," she said, and Sasuke turned fully towards her, putting away the last dish. "For this morning. I was…having trouble with Naruto. If it wasn't for you, it might have gotten a lot more awkward."

Sasuke considered her words, leaning against the counter. "Zabuza is still alive," he said. "That means our mission isn't over yet. It won't do to have you and Dobe all over the place."

"No," Sakura agreed. "But it isn't just that. I was thinking about what you said yesterday." She bit her lip, then opened her mouth again. "You were right. I was, no – _am_ – overbearing on Naruto. He's a ninja, too. I should have been more aware."

Sasuke sighed quietly, looking away and running a pale hand through his hair. "You don't-"

"But I do," Sakura cut him off. "I need to acknowledge what's right and what's wrong. But I just wanted to let you know of something." Sakura moved so that she was in line with Sasuke's vision again. "The reason I did that isn't because I'm babying Naruto, or because I think he's weak. It's the opposite of that. I know Naruto's strength and have more faith in his abilities than anyone. I tried to protect Naruto because he's my teammate, and because I care about him. And that doesn't just apply to Naruto." She took a breath, and directly met his gaze. "It also applies to Kakashi, and it definitely applies to you, too, Sasuke."

Sasuke silently stared back at her, and realising that she was almost cornering him against the sink, she quickly took a few steps back to give him space. She couldn't quite read the way he looked at her, but it seemed- _different_ , in a way – in a way that she didn't recall being looked at in. Surprise, gratitude, nostalgia…aversion?

As if he could tell Sakura had been trying to read him, Sasuke quickly turned away, breaking eye contact. He released a sharp exhale before giving her a sideways look. "I don't need or want you to go so far for me."

The statement was curt, but there was no real venom in it, and it neither stung nor hurt. It was a reaction that Sakura had been entirely expecting – Sasuke, who had a reason more than anybody else to push ahead, who had loved and been loved and tasted the pain of it all. "I know!" Sakura replied brightly. "Because Sasuke-kun's s-t-r-o-n-g, right?"

She grinned, then, a playful, Cheshire grin, and Sakura felt a strange happiness bubble within her as she saw Sasuke's lips quirk ever so slightly before he strode past her and out of the kitchen. "Don't be stupid, Sakura."

* * *

When Naruto woke up, he was lying down at the foot of his tree, gripping his kunai in one hand, and one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen was sitting over him.

"Wh-whoa!" He shot up, hastily backing away and in his surprise, hit his head against the bark. He immediately collapsed onto the ground, holding his head.

"My, my," the girl said, and even amidst his pain Naruto couldn't help but note how clear her voice was. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah…" He groaned, sitting up. When his vision cleared, he scratched his neck sheepishly. "Just surprised," he said. "But who are you?" Naruto frowned. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't be out so late, you know!"

The girl pointed behind her, where the sun was faint on the horizon. "It is morning," she said. "And the same goes for you. You could catch a cold sleeping outside."

"It's because I was _training_ ," Naruto said proudly, eager to impress the girl. "If I want to become stronger, I have to train until late, you see?"

"That is admirable," she said, and Naruto felt his chest huff. It had been a while since he felt as though he was anyone worthy of much respect, to be totally honest. "But why do you want to become stronger?"

"H-huh?" Taken aback, Naruto searched for an answer that could be deemed as cool. "To…" _To become Hokage? To become a hero? To beat Sakura and Sasuke? To…_ He thought of waking up alone, seeing the open window. Of trudging through the forest, hearing Sakura and Sasuke's voices. Sasuke's indignant expression, Sakura's adamant defences. The sudden stop of sound as he ran away. "To be acknowledged," Naruto said after a long pause, looking down. "I want to…stand among people. I want to be relied on. And you can't do that unless you're strong."

"I see," the girl replied. "As I said, admirable."

Naruto's head snapped up. "It is?"

"Yes," she said. "What is wrong with wanting to better yourself and to be known for it? There are many in the world who would seek to leech off of others yet do no good themselves. However," the girl leaned closer, as if telling him a secret, and despite himself Naruto blushed, "I believe that there is one thing that is more important."

"More important?"

The girl nodded, the curve of her lips soft. "One becomes truly strong only when one has someone precious to them that they want to protect. That is what I believe."

"Someone precious to them…" Naruto mulled over the words, thinking of the wooden plank hurtling towards Sakura, Sasuke jumping down, Kakashi materialising behind her. _We're something better than that. We're friends._ He thought of watching Kakashi's back, feeling his killing intent for the first time. _I don't let my teammates die._ Sakura's hands, pulling him away from Zabuza's blade. The fūma shuriken, cutting through his cheek, Sasuke's eyes unapologetic and stern. Taking the bloody kunai from Sasuke. Inari's pained face. The people of Waves. _There are no heroes in this world._

Slowly, Naruto smiled. "You're right," he said.

The girl's brows rose. "Have you thought of someone you want to protect?"

"I-" Naruto pursed his lips, before opening his mouth again. "I'm not sure. But I think so. I've just realised that I've been kind of stupid. So yeah, I think so! Maybe." The girl looked amused as Naruto seemingly grew brighter, and he excitedly asked, "Do you have someone like that, too?"

The girl's eyes widened, before she also broke out in a smile. "Yes," she said, and somehow, the word suddenly sounded much more personal. "I do. Very much so."

* * *

"Your blond friend still hasn't returned, Sakura-chan," Tsunami told her, after waving aside her numerous apologies about the previous night and reassuring her that Inari was fine, just not hungry for breakfast. "Will he return for breakfast?"

Sakura set down the dishes she was carrying next to Tsunami, brows furrowing. "I don't know," she said, concern marring her features. She turned as she heard Sasuke enter the kitchen, rolling up his forearm protectors and nodding politely at Tsunami. "Morning, Sasuke," Sakura said. "Have you seen Naruto-"

She frowned as Sasuke jerked his head at her, gesturing for her to move away. When she did, he took her place, collecting the necessary ingredients from the pantry. "Sasuke, what-"

"Get the Dobe."

Sakura's mouth opened as she understood his intentions, and she smiled gratefully before exiting the kitchen. "Thanks, Sasuke."

Running out through the door, Sakura couldn't help the warmth in her chest. Sasuke had been acting much more considerate than she could have imagined – or had he always, and she just blind in the past to realise it? Through taking her place in helping Tsunami, he had effectively given her a moment alone – a chance to talk privately with Naruto. She leapt into the trees, and only spent a few seconds searching the forest before spotting the familiar yellow and darting down.

"Naruto!" She exclaimed, dropping right before him, and Naruto startled, eyes wide at her sudden experience.

"I- Sakura-chan!" He smiled sheepishly. "Were you looking for me? I was going to go ba-"

"I'm sorry, Naruto!" Sakura blurted. She had been stewing on how to talk to the blond all night long, and hadn't been able to come up with a smart speech, or anything like that – all in all, the whole time, she had only wanted to apologise to him. "You heard me talking to Sasuke, didn't you? I'm sorry – I wanted to talk to you yesterday about it, but I just didn't have the courage-"

"Whoa, Sakura-chan." Naruto grabbed her hands, which had been aimlessly gesturing about. "Calm down," he said. "I'm not angry."

"I know that!" Sakura said, frowning. "I know you aren't angry, Naruto. You never are. But it's true that I was inconsiderate. What you have to know is that I didn't do all that when we were fighting Zabuza because I thought you were weak. I-"

"I know."

"I did them because- wait," Sakura paused. "You do?"

"Yeah," Naruto grinned. "You wanted to protect me, right? Then Sasuke got tickled by it, and you guys got in a fight. Honestly, I bet he was just jealous you weren't protecting _him_."

"I-" Sakura stared at him, speechless. "Naruto, are you sure-"

"I met a really pretty girl today, Sakura-chan," Naruto suddenly said. "Well, _she_ actually turned out to be a _he_ and it was actually kind of hella weird, but the point was that I kinda got your actions. I think." With that, Naruto let her hands go, leaving them to drop at her sides, Sakura gazing at him worriedly. "To be honest, it did feel bad, Sakura-chan. I'm glad you didn't leave me to get chopped in half, but I think I would have been fine alone, too."

"I know," Sakura said. "I'm sorry."

"But you know what I also realised?" Naruto's eyes were a bright, bright blue. "That just means I've got to protect you next time, Sakura-chan. That's what friends do!"

Sakura bit her lip, before tackling the blond in a hug. "Damn you, Naruto." _Why do you always have to be so- bright?_

* * *

Haku picked up his mask, immaculately painted and a beautiful porcelain. But if one looked closely, there were splotches, faint hues of red where the blood never washed out.

"Having second thoughts?" Zabuza asked behind him, his voice gravelly.

Turning, Haku placed it over his basket of herbs, the entirety of it firmly hidden from view. "Never," he said.

"No," Zabuza laughed, short, and bitter. "I supposed not."

* * *

Sai crouched, low and close to the branch. He had been for hours – an ambush had to be perfectly timed, flawlessly executed. There were no margins for errors allowed.

Despite himself, his fingertips twitched, stretching towards the scrolls at his waist and his companion sent him a sharp look, obvious even behind his mask, slashed with the snarls of a tiger.

Sai didn't know him, not his face nor his exact skillset, but he remembered the mission. A rare, pair assignment for Root members who predominantly worked solo, layers and layers of genjutsu cast over them like a shimmering blanket. Sai remembered his partner's death, caught between the last debris in the destruction of the enemy's base, Sai having a choice between a life and the completion of the mission, opening his scroll of kibakufuda in a merciless choice of the latter.

It had been an obvious choice back then. He was sure, that in hindsight, that the Root member would have also preferred it, would have rather chosen death over failing Danzo if presented with the choice. But he was different, now, didn't care for meaningless deaths, didn't care to see a life flicking away before him, not if he could help it.

That was the problem with Root, Sai thought. No members of Root that worked together thought of protecting the other, only compiling their skills together like assembling an empty, thoughtless machine.

A hand gesture. Sai silently moved over, sliding into position beside his partner. He had to admit he was impressed, not many ninjas could simultaneously hold a multitude of genjutsu, and surely not ones as potent as this. Making sure an inked bird would be ready to catch them when they jumped – Sai sidled closer, his shoulder brushing against his partner's-

\- when he _froze_ , body tensing up irreparably, _jerking_ away from him while losing the focus in his eyes, as if he was seeing something else, something _beyond_ him. Sai spun in alarm, then turned back to his partner when he'd established that nothing was present behind them, _What's wrong?_ Sai whispered, grabbing the Root's shoulder, his voice laced with surprise, slight panic – _what's happening?_

Then the genjutsu _wavered_ , like a ripple in the wind – then the _real_ catastrophe, his partner seemingly coming back to his senses, eyes growing wide, trying to repair the genjutsu, losing his footing-

There was only a second where Sai reached out of a desperate hand towards him, breath stuttering as the Root's cloak passed through his fingers like water. Then the Root was falling off the branch, and Sai saw rest of the genjutsu _shatter_ , disintegrate like dust flying in the light-

A kunai cutting clean through his partner's mask. An image of gaping, blue eyes and dark, dark hair before a spike rose from the earth and pierced through the back of his skull, an explosion of blood and the soil that rose through his face and continued up, up, _up_ towards Sai-

 _This didn't happen before._

 _This didn't-_

Sai leapt away, into the raining kunai and the ground rising up to meet him.

* * *

A/N: Hello. Ah, I'm so ashamed I can't even handle saying hello D:

But I need to face my facts. As you guys can see, it has been over two months since my last update. Which I do honestly apologise for, if there actually was anyone waiting for my updates. I am almost unforgivably late.

In my shabby defence, I am currently in my last year of education while hoping to ultimately study medicine – and that demands a significant portion of my time to be put into academics. Even worse, I've found my health to be deteriorating recently, and I have been in and out of the hospital a couple of times, as well.

Therefore, I can't guarantee that my updates will be fast, or even regular. But what I can tell you is that I truly do care about this story (I'm especially excited for the next chapter), and that I will continue to write it as my first priority whenever I have spare time.

Do please leave your comments as reviews below! They always encourage me to keep going, and since it has been a while, and I would especially love to know your thoughts, be it about this story, or its characters – anything.


	8. The Land of Waves III

Sasuke exhaled.

 _Concentrate._ The air at his feet cleared, puffs of dust rising from the ground in a ring as his chakra collected. Slowly, Sasuke opened his eyes, and darted forth.

Even with the running start, just one foot on the tree, and the pull of gravity was immediately heavy on his skin. Gritting his teeth, he sprinted as fast as he could – but the higher he got with each step he could feel his control slipping, the chakra at his feet wavering unsteadily. _Control it. Control it!_ He thought of Kakashi, walking effortlessly up the tree on crutches, the glint in his eye hatefully complacent. One more step. And Sakura, reaching the top branch in a single go, turning back to them with a grin. _One more._

 _One more._ Sasuke clenched his jaw. _More, more-_

The bark audibly cracked beneath him, the wood giving way as his feet sunk and Sasuke stumbled, his chakra dissipating. Letting out a sound of frustration, he slashed at it with his kunai before pushing off, spinning in the air and landing softly a few steps away. Beside him, he was vaguely aware of Naruto crashing to the ground, an orange blur rolling away at the periphery of his vision.

He cast a glance at the blond's tree, at the countless cuts marring its bark, and dragged his eyes up to the the highest one. Around two-thirds of its height. He turned to his own. Still higher – but the difference was slowly decreasing.

His mouth twisted into a scowl, feeling the displeasure mount on him in waves. It only worsened when he saw Naruto similarly eyeing his tree, a look of dissatisfaction on his whiskered face as he compared his and Sasuke's positions.

Sasuke bit down on his lip, hard. _Not him_ , he thought. _I won't let him catch up to me._ Adjusting his grip on his kunai, he spun it once between his fingers, and took off again.

* * *

"That took less time than I expected," Kakashi commented from his futon as he heard the front door slide open, the sound of quiet footsteps following into the living room. He looked up from his book as Sasuke entered, tiredly shaking his hair out of his eyes, and nodded as if he had expected it. "Good work, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "Where's Naruto?"

Sasuke's face scrunched into one of discontent at his question, but before Kakashi could ask further, Naruto's voice echoed throughout the house. "Kakashi-sensei! Sakura-chan!" The shout was followed by a slam, then loud thuds in the hallway before the blond revealed himself, fresh out of breath and eyes bright. "I did it, believe it! I finished the training!"

While Sasuke scoffed at the blond's arrival – when Kakashi's eyes landed on the blond, he immediately wrinkled his nose. "Did Naruto roll around in the mud?" He asked, frowning at Sasuke.

At the commotion, Sakura peeked out from the kitchen, where she had been helping Tsunami with housework. "Wow," she said once she took in the blond's state. "You're _filthy_ , Naruto." Drying her hands on a spare towel and excusing herself, Sakura walked over to Kakashi, taking a seat next to him before the boys.

Both Naruto and Sasuke stood with their hair sweaty and small scratches littering their limbs, clearly spent. But while Sasuke had managed to remain reasonably clean, Naruto looked positively thrashed, with leaves still falling from his hair and orange jumpsuit matted with dirt. It didn't help that he seemed to be utterly drained, either, more so than Sasuke, with body slumped and wavering with exhaustion.

Still, it couldn't erase the oddly triumphant aura that surrounded the two boys, Sakura thought, as Naruto grinned at them, holding up a self-satisfied finger. "You see, Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei," he started, unembarrassed by their comments. "To achieve great things, some times one needs to dirty himself-"

"Where did you pick that up _from_?" Sakura wondered, while Kakashi pointed out, "Sasuke's clean."

"It's because of all the time he spent floundering on the ground," Sasuke said, a smooth voice of truth as he unfastened his weapons pouch with a small smirk. With that he simply brushed past the blond, disappearing into the bathroom before Naruto could grab at him.

"Why, you-" As Sasuke shut the door in his face, Naruto scowled heavily in his direction before turning to Sakura and Kakashi. "Just so you guys know," he grumbled, "That bastard fell an awful lot, too! It just doesn't show because he's wearing _blue_."

"Sasuke's pants are white," Kakashi pointed out, again. His eye creased at Naruto's answering glower, and Sakura dryly noted that the Kakashi of this timeline had yet again picked up the hobby of poking fun at Naruto.

"At least you guys completed the training," Sakura intervened swiftly. "That's worth congratulating, right?"

Naruto's face lit up. "Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed, spreading his arms wide and attempting to run towards her. "You're the only person with a soul around here!"

But blond swayed dangerously on his second step, and Sakura's eyes widened as she quickly stood and reached out her arms, just in time to steady Naruto. "Whoa, Naruto," she said, brows furrowing as she assessed him closer up. "You've lost a lot of chakra." She winced as she remembered the blond's horrendous chakra control – considering that he had been training non-stop the whole day, a normal person would have passed out long ago. It was most likely his massive reserves that had enabled him to complete his training around the same time as Sasuke – he probably made up for all the wasted chakra with well, more chakra. "You should sit down or something."

The blond straightened sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess so-"

"Better not," a voice came from behind the blond, and Sakura whirled to see Inari, standing in the hallway with a disapproving frown. He crossed his arms above his chest as he walked towards them. "He'll get the tatami dirty."

"Inari!" Sakura exclaimed. It was the first time the young boy had shown himself to Team 7 after the previous mishap at dinner, opting to stay in his room or out of their sight. His anguished face not leaving her mind, she had asked Tsunami after him many times, but she had only regretfully shaken her head, telling her that such episodes weren't rare for Inari, who had taken Kaiza's death the hardest of all.

As if thinking along the same lines as her, Naruto's face lit up as his eyes landed on him. Sakura saw the blond open his mouth in greeting when Inari cut him off dismissively.

"You're exhausted," he said to Naruto matter-of-factly. "And gross to boot."

"It's because I was training!" Naruto said, raising a fist enthusiastically. "Do you know what I can do now, Inari, do you?" The blond was practically bobbing on the soles of his feet as he grinned at Inari, one that cut across his face in a wide arc and seemed to wash his tiredness away. Sakura remembered Naruto's persistent expression, _I'll show you that you're wrong. You and Inari_. "I can walk on trees now! Isn't that cool? Look, I could walk on this wall, or even the ceiling in here – that's one more to the arsenal of the Great Uzumaki Naruto, believe it-"

Inari's voice was cold when he spoke up. "And you think you can beat Gato with that?"

"Huh?" Naruto stuttered short, taken aback at the biting tone. "Well, yeah!"

Turning his face, Inari sighed. "So pathetic," he muttered, and at that moment his bitterness reminded Sakura a little of Sasuke, a terrible sort of cynicism towards life unbefitting of a child. "That's just all in vain," he said. "There's no point. You guys are all just wasting your time! Gato is more powerful than you guys think." His voice was growing louder with each word. "We will never be able to beat him. Never!"

Sakura swallowed thickly, wanting to reassure the boy, but Naruto beat her to it. "Don't say that!" The blond frowned, looking adamant. "There's nothing we can't do if we put our mind to it!"

"What do you know?" Inari burst out, hands clenched into tight fists at his sides, and at his sudden shout everyone went stock still. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Sasuke exit from the bathroom and surreptitiously stop short, hair damp and a towel hanging around his neck. His dark eyes were narrowed and fixed on the boy. "What do you know of losing people you love?" Inari yelled, and on the last word his voice cracked harshly. "You only have hope because you don't know the pain! You only think you can win because you haven't experienced what I have!"

Inari was met with silence and four identical, solemn expressions. His body was trembling, his eyes resolutely trained on the floor, and from Sakura's angle she could see the redness of them, barely able to hold back his tears. There was no one in this room who hadn't experienced loss or loneliness, and it was for that reason exactly, Sakura thought, that no one could easily respond to his heartache.

Sakura pursed her lips. In the past, she might have empathised, but wouldn't have quite _understood_ Inari, and wouldn't have even known the fact that she was the only one in the room who didn't. It was only now, after experiencing the very same pain that she was able to see Inari's horrid scars, the cuts of resentment and disappointment and sadness. It was only now, Sakura realised, as she took in Naruto's hands, clenching and unclenching at his sides, and Sasuke's weary eyes, the flat line of Kakashi's mouth – that she was looking at the world from the same standpoint as her team.

Then slowly, and clearly, Naruto spoke up. "You're a coward, Inari."

The boy _jerked_ , as if someone had hit him. Sakura's gaze shot to the blond, who was watching Inari with an uncharacteristically humourless expression on his features. "That's how cowards think," he said again, and it was clear that this time Inari couldn't handle the blow, as he promptly spun on his feet, and ran back into the hallway. Before he could disappear completely out of sight however, Sakura heard a sob, the beginnings of a wretched cry. And from the way Naruto's face soon crumpled, she was sure that he had, too.

The air was utterly quiet for a few moments. Then Sasuke turned, heading towards their storage room. "Good going," he said, his back towards them. "Dobe."

* * *

Sakura gave Naruto a cross look as they laid their sleeping bags out in their room straight after dinner – her idea, with the amount of chakra the blond had lost, he needed just as much sleep to recover it all – feeling oddly appeased when the blond winced guiltily at her expression. "That was unnecessarily mean, Naruto," she said.

Naruto pouted, a mix of stubbornness and contrition as he sat cross-legged on the floor. "I know, Sakura-chan," he finally said. "But it was true! He needed to know that."

Sakura sighed. It wasn't as though she didn't understand where Naruto was coming from. Inari's pain was unmistakeable, but so was Naruto's, and h _e_ reined it so that it made him shine brighter than anyone else, using his sadness and sorrow to fuel his light instead. But even knowing that Sakura simply couldn't help her heart going out for the boy. Inari reminded her too much of the civilian children who had lost their family in the war, caught between the power struggle of shinobi and politics that they should have never been affected by in the first place. "He's just a young boy," she implored.

The blond looked her straight in the eye, then. "There's no right age for being brave, Sakura-chan. He can do that anytime."

* * *

Sakura hesitated. From the porch, she could see Inari just outside the house, curled into a ball with his head buried in his knees. She wondered how long the boy had been out there for – he hadn't turned up for dinner, and even now, almost an hour later and the sky black with night, it didn't seem like Inari had any intention of returning anytime soon.

The exchange with the blond had left her unable to sleep, and she had left Naruto in the darkness of their room in search of Inari. While Naruto's words made sense from the perspective of someone who knew of the blond's own suffering, Sakura also knew that they must have sounded undeniably callous from Inari's standpoint.

But what would she say to him? Sakura bit her lip, raising her hand to her temple and startling when she felt footsteps at her side. She looked up to see Sasuke standing with his arms crossed, his eyes also fixed on Inari. "Sasuke," Sakura said, surprised. "What are you doing here?" Had he also been worried? About Inari?

Sasuke slowly slid his eyes to hers, raising an eyebrow as if silently questioning, _And you?_

She looked away. Even from the distance, she could see Inari's shoulders shaking minutely as he wept. "I was worried about Inari," Sakura said. "It isn't as though I disagree with Naruto, but to lose someone he loves like that and experience so much pain at a young age...it couldn't have been easy."

She felt Sasuke tense, then, his eyes searching on her face and Sakura swallowed thickly as she raised her head towards him, realising how her words must have sounded to Sasuke, who had lost everyone he loved, once. She wondered how old Inari was now – how old had _Sasuke_ been when his clan died?

Their gazes met, and it was almost as if Sasuke wanted to say something, pursing his lips then relaxing them again – but then they heard the distinct sound of a twig breaking, and their heads instantly snapped back towards Inari to see a tall male looming over him, silver hair alight under the moon. "Kakashi," Sakura whispered, surprise colouring her tone for the second time in the night. Sasuke, and now Kakashi – all the males who she, in her youth, had considered almost emotionless had appeared in their concern for the boy. Sakura felt her lips twist in a mixture of bitterness and self-reproach. She really hadn't known anything. Couldn't see anything beyond what it looked like on the surface.

Inari didn't look up when he noticed Kakashi's presence, but hurriedly wiped his eyes instead. "What do you want?" The boy's voice was croaky, but it carried clearly enough through the air. "Are you here to tell me off, too?"

In reply, Kakashi shook his head, his mouth moving. But he was far too quiet for them to hear and simultaneously both Sakura and Sasuke silently stepped off the porch, inching closer to the pair. Sakura caught Sasuke glance at her before he quickly looked away again, and she almost smirked at Sasuke's behaviour – he was being just as nosy as her. But it must be surprising, she supposed, to see a man as outwardly lackadaisical and careless as Kakashi standing in front of a crying boy in the night. She was sure, that in the past when she hadn't known the jōnin's hidden compassion, she would also have reacted with utter disbelief.

"What, then?" Inari challenged.

"To tell you that Naruto didn't say what he did to hurt you," Kakashi replied. Though his face nor his voice was especially comforting, the flatness with which he delivered the words made it sound oddly genuine. At Inari's incredulous expression, he elaborated, "Naruto is an orphan. On top of that, he didn't have a single friend growing up." Inari finally looked up, then, his eyes wide. "By now, he must have grown sick of crying. He's experienced more loneliness than anyone, and so probably also understands your pain more than anyone. What Naruto said to you – I suspect they must be words that he's told to himself again and again."

Sakura stared. He had taken the words out of her mouth, and phrased it better than she ever could. _Geez, Kakashi-sensei_ , she thought, her lips curving, _since when were you so good at emotional comfort?_ With that she turned, re-entering the house through the porch. "I think we've heard enough," she said quietly to Sasuke, but he was already with her, clearly having thought the same thing.

His brows were furrowed, looking halfway between uncomfortable and disgruntled. Although Sakura couldn't read his thoughts, she wondered if also, in the past, Sasuke had gone to see Inari and come upon Kakashi, his subtle kindness, and the talk of Naruto's innermost pain.

* * *

When they returned, Naruto was sitting up on the floor, his eyes oddly bright in the darkness. He had the hem of his sleeping bag grasped in his hands, his body turned in their direction as if he had been waiting for them. "Sakura-chan," he immediately said as she entered.

"You were still awake?" Sakura frowned, quietly closing the door behind her while Sasuke moved over to his own designated space without a word.

Sheepishly, Naruto looked down, scratching the back of his neck. "After what you said to me, Sakura-chan, I got kinda worried…and I saw you go out, so I thought maybe you were talking to him-"

Settling inside her own sleeping bag beside him, she smiled fondly at the blond. "He's fine," she said. "Kakashi-sensei talked to him."

"Kakashi-sensei?" The blond looked beyond dubious. _Understandable_ , Sakura thought with amusement. " _Our_ Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I guess despite what he looks like, he might actually have a heart." Feeling strangely light, Sakura reached out and poked Naruto on the cheek. "Don't worry and go to sleep, Naruto. With the state of your chakra now, you'll be moving like a grandpa if you don't."

Quietly, in the darkness, Sasuke scoffed. "Same as usual, then."

As Naruto indignantly rose in a retaliation, Sakura sighed.

* * *

"Well, then," Kakashi said to Inari's mother the next morning, "We'll be leaving Naruto in your care."

Tsunami nodded graciously before her mouth dragged down in concern. "Are you sure you're better to go, Hatake-san?"

"More or less," Kakashi nodded. "It's just Naruto – he's exhausted himself with training yesterday. I doubt he would be able to move around much today."

"We'll be back soon, anyway, Tsunami," Tazuna reassured her.

Tsunami smiled. "Alright then, take care, everyone."

Accompanying Tazuna to the bridge, Sakura chewed on her tongue. She had almost forgotten amidst everything that happened – but today would be the day that they met Zabuza again. Despite the small spat that Team 7 had had, Sakura was reasonably satisfied that it had all been wrapped up well – there weren't any major tensions between the team (maybe except Naruto and Sasuke's cat-and-mouse relationship, but _that_ wasn't anything new) and she recalled most of the events in the fight with some clarity.

It was undeniably a critical fight – one where Sasuke would first awaken his Sharingan, and Naruto the power of the Kyūbi. She had hated seeing Sasuke injured, hated thinking about having to see it again – but she also knew that it was an act that would consolidate the bonds between Naruto and Sasuke as he protected the blond for the first time, not to mention it wouldn't be lethal. If his injuries did turn out to be somehow worse in this timeline, Sakura also had the power to heal him as needed. She smiled. It was safe to say that all in all, Sakura felt fairly optimistic.

So this time, she would step back, and let the events take its course.

* * *

"Tazuna-san, behind me!" Sakura stepped in front of him as the bridge-builder stopped short, paralysed at the descending fog and the sight of the bodies of his fellow workers floating on the water. Beyond the bridge, Sakura could see the surviving civilians run towards the central district, towards safety. _This is it_ , Sakura thought as she raised a kunai protectively in front of her.

"Th-this is…" Tazuna stuttered, taking a step back.

"Zabuza's fog," Sasuke finished darkly. He slid into a defensive stance, while Kakashi similarly readied his weapons.

Kakashi nodded. "Be on your guard, Sasuke, Sakura."

The fog slowly continued to thicken, obscuring their vision for anything beyond a few feet. Sakura inched closer to Tazuna, while she saw Sasuke and Kakashi take nearly a back-to-back formation. Then, the mist stopped moving, and Zabuza's voice cut through the air instead.

"Kakashi," Zabuza drawled. "Still dragging those brats around, I see."

There was a flash of water, then there were four of the nuke-nin, closing the group in. Whirling, Sakura pushed Tazuna towards the centre. This time when Zabzua laughed, it was four-fold, the gravelly sound swamping them from all directions. "Don't you think it's cruel practice?" He leered. "Just look at that one – he's trembling with fear!"

True to his word, Sasuke was shivering – but he spun his kunai through his fingers, once, and smirked widely into the air. "Trembling, sure," he allowed, "in excitement." He then dematerialised, a dark blur that circled them once before reappearing in his prior position. "I can tell," Sasuke said, cocking his head, and the copies of Zabuza promptly dissipated into pools of water.

There was a harsh bark of amusement, then Zabuza revealed himself as he stepped out of the fog, a masked boy in tow. Haku, Sakura thought warily as the nuke-nin jerked his chin at Sasuke's direction. "Here," he said to Haku. "Looks like there's a match for you." Then, something Sakura didn't expect – Zabuza slid his eyes directly to her, and Sakura scowled in response. Zabuza must have kept in mind how she had blocked his swing in their previous encounter. The new acknowledgement was nice, but this fight was one that she didn't exactly intend on flashing about so much. With one hand on Tazuna's arm, she backed away from the group, and Zabuza's lips twitched slightly before his eyes moved away.

"So he was an accomplice, after all," Kakashi said, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

Haku inclined his head, and Kakashi blew out a low breath. "Sakura, stay with Tazuna," he said. "Do not let him get harmed. And Sasuke-"

But Sasuke was already gone, pushing off towards Haku, their kunai meeting halfway and sharply screeching against each other. Kakashi shook his head, then turned himself towards Zabuza – leaping away and leading their fight farther away from the rest of them. Then Sakura was watching from the sidelines again, her eyes darting between Sasuke and Haku.

It was clearly a battle of speed. Haku was fast, and it was only due to Sasuke's status as one of the fastest genin of Konoha that he was able to move on par with him, sliding nimbly between the needles and deflecting the ones he couldn't avoid with a twist of his kunai. Then Sasuke ducked under the weapons, his legs sweeping out towards Haku in a low kick, and the masked-nin leapt into the air, forcing Sasuke to somersault away on his hands as he sent another batch of senbon imbedding the ground after the Uchiha.

"You are fast," Haku conceded as they faced off each other on opposite sides of the bridge, and a smug look of satisfaction passed over Sasuke's features.

"You haven't seen anything," he said, and the two clashed again, a tangle of taijutsu as Sasuke's kunai came close to slicing Haku's hair, Sasuke reeling as Haku's feet rose close to his face, Sasuke blocking Haku's leg with an arm before throwing his own fist. It ultimately came to a stalemate, kunai against kunai after the two had repeated alternating offence and defence enough times to know that one couldn't completely overwhelm the other in a physical fight.

Sasuke's blade slid against Haku's, both their hands shaking as they pushed against each other. Sakura watched nervously – it would now come down to their ninjutsu to decide the winner. Haku slowly raised his other, unoccupied hand, and though the mask covered the entirety of his face, somehow Sakura thought she could see his mouth curve in satisfaction. "This is rather a good position," he said, as Sasuke's brows furrowed, folded his fingers into a seal. Sasuke's eyes widened, and so did Sakura's – _one-handed seals_ , she thought guardedly, it was her second time seeing it but it didn't make it any less surprising – but before Sasuke could leap away, Haku had already opened his mouth.

" _Makyō Hyōshō_."

The effect was instantaneous. Walls of ice materialised in the air, enclosing Sasuke in a dome-like structure. Wary, Sasuke's eyes darted between the glacial sheets before Haku _entered_ one himself, turning them into a kaleidoscope of mirrors, each of them imprinted with an image of the masked boy. Sakura saw comprehension dawn on Sasuke's face for a split second, then the senbons began to fly – a web of thin blades that had no beginning nor end. Sasuke let out a harsh sound of pain as one slashed through his cheek, then his arm, a thigh, stomach, ankle. He tried to raise his kunai, to dodge the senbon – but they were simply too fast, one couldn't even tell from which direction the attacks were coming from-

Sakura bit down hard on her lip, desperately looking around the bridge as trepidation gripped her. She knew this would happen, had all seen it before, but there was one thing missing – _where was Naruto?_ She could see Sasuke between the gaps, forced down to his knees, blood spurting with each flash of light that passed his body. _Where was he?_ He should have come interrupted the fight just about now – and with every second that passed, a new wound opened on Sasuke's body, and Sakura found herself growing increasingly anxious, until-

 _You were still awake?_

 _I got kinda worried…_

Sakura's eyes widened.

 _You'll be moving like a grandpa if you don't sleep._

Letting out a sharp curse, Sakura swivelled towards Tazuna before jerking her kunai in Sasuke's direction. "I have to go," she said urgently, and this time bridge-builder didn't hesitate, waving her away.

"You don't need to say anything," his eyes were just as frantic as hers. "Go help Sasuke!"

Sprinting towards the dome, Sakura felt her heartbeat hasten erratically – just _one_ change, _one_ change – because of her, Naruto had fallen asleep much later than he had in the past, would wake later, or even if he woke at the same time, must have had less energy – Just _one_ change, and this happened-

Her eyes fixed on Sasuke, Sakura gritted her teeth, hurling her kunai as hard as she could – she had to stop the attacks in one way or another – a fraction of her relaxing as this time, the kunai coldly cut the back of Haku's hand as he leaned out of his mirror to catch it. It brought her back to her sense somewhat – this timeline was different, this time she was stronger, she couldn't panic – and taking a few more shuriken out of her pouch she hurled them too, the blades catching at Haku's clothes and forcing him out of the mirror.

"Sasuke!" Feigning hysteria, she slammed her hands onto a mirror as she pretended to assess him through the gap, displeasure coiling inside her when the wall didn't budge. She would be able to break it if she tried – but there was no doubt that it would much more chakra than what she had previously showed off to Sasuke. Not to mention Kakashi was close – he was engaged in his own fight, sure, but it was still much too risky.

"Sakura," Sasuke groaned, staggering, and she felt worry seize her as she saw the small streams of blood running down his leg.

Then she jumped, and there was a neat row of senbon buried where her feet had previously been. "You," Haku said, and he was completely out of his mirror, now, only a few steps away from her. "Come to help your teammate, I see."

"Of course," Sakura shot back. Although she knew that Haku was far from the heartless, cruel enemies she had faced before, there was no doubt where his allegiance was currently. Her first priority would be to save Sasuke, to help defeat Haku, but-

 _You aren't the Dobe's mother. You need to stop babying him._

Sakura pushed the words, and the image of Sasuke's disgusted expression away with a wave of irritation. This was _different_. This was a serious fight. Surely she was entitled-

 _But what about Sasuke's Sharingan?_ A voice inside her whispered, then. _And Naruto's Kyūbi? Sure, you can defeat Haku – but how will you deal with the repercussions?_

Sakura froze, swallowing thickly. There was a course of events that the timeline needed to take, and she needed to watch it proceed through. She couldn't do anything rash – no matter how much she wanted to. If the issue was that Naruto was arriving later than he should have, then the fight needed to continue until then. That meant buying time. She could take him head-on individually, but she would be risking exposing more of her abilities than necessary, or even worse, ending the fight earlier than it should. She would also be in trouble if Haku decided to leave her be and focus on Sasuke instead – she would have no way of defending Sasuke, considering that she wouldn't be able to break through his mirrors, anyway.

 _That leaves only one way, then_ , she thought.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura leapt _into_ the dome, and landed softly beside Sasuke.

"What-" Sasuke looked torn between fury and utter disbelief. "What did you come in _here_ for?" He snarled. "Are you stupid?"

"What did you expect me to do then?" She bit back, grabbing Sasuke's arm and helping him up as Haku reappeared across the mirrors. "Twiddle my thumbs outside?"

Scowling, Sasuke jerked his arm away from her with a frustrated groan. When he spoke next, it was clear that he was restraining his anger. "There's no way," he said. "We've got to break this ice somehow."

"What are you going to do?" She eyed the mirrors cautiously. Haku would begin his attacks any time now-

Sasuke weaved his hands in a series of seals. " _Katon: Gokakyū no Jutsu_!"

The swirl of fire was the largest she had seen yet, the orange reflecting bright against the ice, but it settled without a trace, and Sakura heard Sasuke inhale sharply in surprise. "No effect," he said almost disbelievingly.

 _Because it's a bloodline limit_ , Sakura thought darkly. _The ice won't melt._

"Indeed, you are talented," Haku said, his voice resonating around the pair. "But not quite enough."

Then the attacks began again, and Sakura bit her lip as she felt the needles slash through her clothes, searing through her skin. Seeing the senbons fly from the outside had been dizzying enough, but being in it was much worse, a total storm of confusion where her skin continued to slice open but she had no sense of where the weapons were coming from. Still, it was better than nothing, Sakura thought – at least one side of them were unexposed, and that meant reduced surface area, and less injuries on Sasuke.

Then, one badly aimed – or magnificently, from Haku's standpoint – hitting her in a vulnerable spot at the back of her knee, and Sakura instinctively crumpled, falling with her palm flat against the ground.

"Sakura!" She heard Sasuke call out.

"I-" She tried to respond, but another one cut dangerously close to her lip- and she jerked away, feeling at least three more senbon imbed in her arm. Then a hand was on her elbow, and Sasuke was pulling her up, a needle ripping through his collar.

"Sakura," he was saying. "Get a grip!"

Her eyes zeroed in on a rivulet of blood, then, sliding down Sasuke's cheek, and Sakura clenched her jaw. Inside Haku's dome was a hurricane of senbon that they wouldn't have a way out of unless she exercised her chakra-enhanced strength, or until Naruto arrived – and she was strongly hoping for the latter. There was no choice – alighting her hands with chakra, she covered Sasuke's face with her hands, then slid them down over his arms, healing the pre-existing cuts and the new ones as the skin split open.

"What are you-" Sasuke tried to pull away, but she wouldn't let him, gripping his shirt. That way she completely covered his torso with her own body, taking half of the senbon in stride – her own injuries she could heal by herself, but she absolutely couldn't allow getting _Sasuke_ injured before Naruto appeared, before they could fight together – she'd erased one of their memories together already, _hell_ if she would let another go-

"I can heal myself," Sakura shouted, and tightened her fists in his tattered collar. "So stay _goddamn_ still!" When Sasuke froze, surprised at her tone, she yelled, "You're the genius, Sasuke! Think! How can we get out?" _Because my plan right now involves sticking it out here, healing myself, healing you, waiting for that I'll-kick-his-lazy-ass-to-next-Sunday Naruto before hopefully I run out of my freaking chakra-_

"Impressive," Haku observed. "Are you healing him? Even covering him with your own body – but I'm afraid it's rather pointless in attacks like these. A senbon, while difficult to be lethal by itself, in a jutsu like this – it becomes a different story."

"Shut up!" Sakura snapped. "We're trying to think!"

There were a few seconds of silence, then the senbons slowly ceased, the flying needles clattering to the floor. Sakura let go of Sasuke and turned in confusion – and so did Sasuke, separating from her and staring up at the multiple Hakus who had stopped moving.

"It's admirable," Haku said, suddenly, his masked-face inclined towards Sakura, and she frowned. "Going so far to protect your teammates. However," the air chilled, and Sakura instinctively took a step back. "We cannot keep this battle going on forever. I'm afraid this is the end."

Then, tens and tens and tens of senbon materialising in the air, just behind Sasuke – and hurtling towards his back. Sasuke turned, his eyes widening at the sudden change in Haku's tactics – sure, he had littered their bodies with cuts, but his attacks were never this direct, never so clearly aimed to kill-

Purely on instinct, Sakura moved – letting her true speed show as she intercepted the attack, twisting her body so that it was positioned to cover Sasuke, her torso towards the hailing senbon. Sakura couldn't see Sasuke's expression with her back facing him, but as she watched the weapons flying towards her, like fine, silver pine needles – Sasuke's bitter words crossed her mind. _I don't need or want you to go so far for me._

 _Sasuke is going to hate me for this_ , Sakura thought wryly. Despite all the times he had saved Naruto and her in the past, she just knew that this act would rankle him horribly – but she couldn't let Sasuke take the blow, _couldn't_ , because Naruto still hadn't come, and she needed him to fight with the blond, and she needed him to awaken the Sharingan, and there was no point for her to see Sasuke fall without Naruto to awaken the Kyūbi, and-

 _I don't want to see you hurt._

 _This isn't babying. It isn't- It's a flaw, but it's love, I swear- and it's…_

 _Paying back._

She registered Sasuke's hoarse, shocked shout, then from somewhere to her side, a higher-pitched, horrified, desperate scream – _God_ , _Naruto_ , she thought, _you have such fantastic timing, don't you, now you better go clean up this mess_ \- Then she felt the needles imbedding into her body, each of them driving deep into her flesh, as if one would stab a pin into a pincushion. There was a moment of utter silence, then, the pain – exploding and threading through her body like metal melting into her blood, like dipping herself in lava. She felt herself sway, and fall, but somehow she landed on something soft – and as the darkness rose before her eyes, a thought struck her, bringing with it an odd urge to smile.

 _I've never heard you guys scream my name like that._

 _Scream my name like I had countlessly screamed yours, when you pushed me behind you, away from an enemy and left me staring at your back._

* * *

Sakura fell in slow-motion.

Slowly, slowly, as if the very air itself was trying to stop her from falling, or was that how it just looked like to him? And she fell, fell into Sasuke's arms, him dropping to his knees to catch her until she laid limp on his lap, drenching his white pants in red. His vision swimming, Naruto raked his eyes up, up, _up_ to the bastard's face – he hadn't protected her, he hadn't _protected_ her – the bastard, the _bastard_ , he let her fall- And when Sasuke turned in the direction of his scream, their gazes meeting, his eyes were red, red, _red_ – There was a brief flash of recognition in the blond's mind, _Kakashi-sensei's eye_ , then the memory of Sasuke saying, _my clan's bloodline_ – before even that was swamped away with a rise of the thought, _it's the colour of Sakura-chan's blood-_

 _Sakura-chan._ Naruto's heart thudded, deafening in his ears and each beat damning, sending uncontrollable surges of white-hot, what? What- _bloodthirst_ , a voice whispered, deep and gravelly at the back of his skull. Naruto couldn't tear his eyes away. The blood was growing, growing, drenching her hair, so stark against the pale colours of ice and water. _My friend, my teammate, my-_

Naruto rose in a tower of rage, his screams sounding oddly bestial even to himself. He shot forward, and swung his tail – _tail?_ – and it smashed right through the mirrors, leading a masked boy to stagger out of one of the mirrors, staring at Naruto in shock – _it's him_ , the voice whispered, dark in his mind. _He did that to her_. The ice flew cleanly away, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Sasuke, the bastard, settle Sakura down and rise from the puddle of her blood, eyes spinning and utterly, utterly furious.

* * *

Naruto regained consciousness when Sasuke, _angry, angry, so angry_ – threw a kunai that cut cleanly through their enemy's mask. Perhaps not regain _consciousness_ , per say, but his vision cleared, and the heat in his veins wasn't so much _bloodthirst_ as much as it was a tearing sort of fury and sadness-

But what mattered the most at that moment was his face, the enemy's face – so pretty, soft, feminine, long, black eyelashes and Naruto reeled, blue eyes widening, recognising him – and he stopped short, gaping. Then there was a dark blur at the corner of his vision and Naruto turned, mouth opening, "Sasuke, wait-"

But he was already there, bearing down on Haku with his fist coiled back and eyes murderous and Sasuke _punched_ him, sending him flying before leaping at him again. This time, Naruto was there to grab his wrist as Sasuke made to hit him again, flinching as Sasuke snarled at him venomously. "What are you _doing_? Why are you stopping me-" His eyes were swirling, _uneven_ , Naruto absently noted, but still creepy _as_ – and there was a wide, rapidly darkening bruise on his face, in a strange, almost claw-like shape-

Naruto gripped Sasuke's fist harder as he struggled against him. "Wait!" He said. "Just wait, Sasuke- wait!"

"What the hell is there to wait _for_?" Sasuke spat, but slowly lowered his arm as Naruto desperately covered the boy with his body. "What is it?" He hissed. "Have you finally gone insane?"

"No!" Naruto protested, then said softly, "It's Haku."

Sasuke responded with a disbelieving look. "What?"

"It's Haku." With that, Naruto turned, frowning at the boy who was pulling himself up by the railings. "You are, aren't you?"

 _My name is Haku. See you again._

"Naruto," he replied just as evenly, and Naruto could feel Sasuke's confusion seething beside him.

"He's the gir-boy that I met in the woods," the blond elaborated quickly, before facing Haku again. "But why are you here? Why are you working for a missing-nin like Zabuza? Why are you working under _Gato_?"

Haku coughed, a handful of blood splattering onto the floor. Naruto didn't have the clearest memory of what happened after he saw Sakura fall, but he distinctly remembered relishing the feeling of flesh against his fist, Sasuke right beside him, somehow moving in perfect unison in their shared anger- "He may be a missing-nin," Haku said. "But he is my saviour. He saved me from my worthless existence, after my parents died and my village abandoned me…he gave my life a purpose."

"Don't tell me," Naruto felt his heart drop, remembering Haku's soft smile, the look of love. " _He's_ the person you want to protect?"

Haku didn't reply. But he turned to Sasuke, then, inclining his head. "I am sorry for what happened to the girl," he said, and Naruto had to again extend out an arm to prevent Sasuke from cutting into him. "She was truly admirable. Every bit of yours and Naruto's rage is justified. In truth, the senbon I had aimed towards you was only for incapacitation – it would not have killed. I just did not expect her to jump in-"

Sasuke sounded incredulous. "Are you saying that it's _her_ fault?"

"No," Haku quickly shook his head. "I have already lost. By failing to defeat you, I have failed him, and so I am ready to accept my death. If I am to die, then I would like to die a ninja's death."

"A good line," Sasuke said, advancing towards Haku, and this time, Naruto didn't stop him.

"Haku," Naruto said, feeling the ends of his lips drag down. "You encouraged me. I'm in your debt, but…" Clenching his fist, Naruto bit his lip. "If…If you hadn't- If- If Sakura-chan wasn't- Just- just _know_ that we could have been good friends."

Haku smiled. And Naruto pulled out a kunai, while Sasuke raised his own-

But there was a splitting sound then, instantly raising the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck as the far end of the bridge lit up with light, and their heads instantly snapped in Kakashi and Zabuza's direction to see the nuke-nin cornered and bleeding, leaning heavily against his sword, and Kakashi, hand covered in sizzling lightning.

"It's a shame, Zabuza," Kakashi was saying. "But I need to finish this quickly and get back to my students, you see. They've become quite a mess." Then he raised his hand, high, and Naruto's eyes widened as Haku disappeared from in front of them, a quickly whispered, _I am sorry_ and he and Sasuke chased him just to see Haku reappear before Zabuza, the nuke-nin's eyes widening, and Kakashi's hand sinking through the boy's chest.

* * *

Sasuke watched Zabuza gurgle his own blood on the ground, the dead bodies of Gato and his men strewn about him like garbage. He had asked to be placed next to Haku and Kakashi had gladly obliged him – he had cared for Haku, Sasuke supposed, in his own way. He watched Zabuza gingerly raise a bloodstained hand, and drag it across the boy's cheek, his eyes pained.

"I-I'd like to go- go to the same place as you, Haku, if I can…"

Sasuke stared at the hole in Haku's chest, the agonised look in Zabuza's eyes. He thought of Sakura, appearing in front of him before Haku's senbon just as the ice-user had for the nuke-nin – and the rising wrath of Naruto, the feeling of his fist, full of betrayal, disappointment, slamming into his jaw as Naruto punched him, first, before turning on Haku. _You- We were supposed to protect her_ -

"I'm sure you will," Kakashi said, quietly.

Sasuke turned, and instead watched the blood drip off Kakashi's fingers.

* * *

 _The last sacrifice of a greatest man you've ever known?_

 _Yes._

 _You-_

 _Sasuke._

… _What?_

 _Go to sleep. My Sharingan – it is my greatest gift, and my greatest curse. As must be yours. You must know how to handle its weight. And it begins by not turning up sleep-deprived to my training tomorrow._

* * *

Kakashi didn't like to think of himself as sappy, or even sentimental, but he thought even the most stoic man would have had to be lying to say that he hadn't felt anything watching Naruto and Sasuke desperately leap towards Sakura's unconscious body after Zabuza finally lay dead, pushing Tazuna out of the way, Naruto almost slamming his knees against the ground in his urgency to get to her. The blond had been borderline hysterical, his hands wildly grabbing at Sakura's arms and shoulders, _Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan-_ while Sasuke had sat frozen, unmoving and staring at the pool of red steadily growing underneath his feet, at her body, at the hundred senbons, at his hands covered in Sakura's blood.

Sasuke had looked furious, Kakashi remembered. Furious and confused and utterly, _utterly_ lost, next to Naruto, blue eyes distraught as he looked up at him pleadingly, repeating _Kakashi-sensei, please, Kakashi-sensei-_ like a prayer, Kakashi had been again hit by his past, the memory of himself and Rin, kneeling beside Obito's dying body. Of course, Sakura's injuries were much less severe, and he had known from first glance that she would recover – but the sight of the two boys, sitting helplessly beside Sakura's bloody form had been a parallel of an image enough.

If there was a God, or whoever controlled Fate out there, Kakashi wanted to shake them by the neck. Surely they didn't have to taunt him like this.

Propped up on a high branch of a tree and leaning his back against the bark, Kakashi contemplatively watched Naruto and Sasuke through the open porch, sitting faithfully beside Sakura's futon as Sasuke replaced the towel on her forehead.

Naruto hadn't left Sakura's side once after Inari's mother had finished changing her clothing and dressing her injuries with what little salves she had, while with Sasuke it seemed more like he couldn't physically _keep_ himself staring at Sakura's unconscious form for long bouts of time. Still, he never strayed far, and he changed her washcloth almost judiciously every half hour or so, his eyes not overwrought by obvious concern or guilt like Naruto's, but the movements of his hands far more careful and gentler than Naruto's lavish ones could ever be.

He briefly wondered what must be going through their heads – what was it like seeing a teammate crumple to the floor in a fall of blood for Naruto, who didn't know what it felt like to be protected, and Sasuke, who had lost everyone to be protected by?

Kakashi had been constantly warring with himself, between _do I or do I not_ – looking for the right moment to confront Sakura and failing. One minute he would be baffled by the girl's strength that seemingly came out of nowhere, then she would turn and do things like _this_ – an embodiment of all the things that he had ever wanted to see in his genin team.

Was that why he kept having these visions? In his appreciation of her? The visage of an older Sakura stemming from the wish to see her grow up? That she wouldn't die?

No, it couldn't be; he had started to see them from the day after she was assigned to his team, back when he felt nothing for her but a mild sort of disapproval. It also didn't explain the surges of guilt that always came with them. He had never even been so sentimental to begin with, but if it was that he wanted to see Team 7 in the future, why he didn't see Naruto at all in them? And that image of Sasuke, his lightning chakra headed directly for Sakura's throat-

And yet it also made little sense if Sakura herself were conjuring them. What would be her purpose? The love and adoration he had seen in Sakura's eyes for Naruto and Sasuke were undoubtedly real, he thought, and shone itself through her injuries. There would be no reason she would voluntarily show him a vision where Sasuke was _attacking_ her-

 _Involuntary. It's involuntary._

Kakashi watched Sasuke stand, and return with a new bowl of water as Naruto fussed over the state of Sakura's futon. There was no doubt that having her was a positive influence on the team, Kakashi thought. There were just too many things that didn't make sense.

* * *

"Hey, bastard," Naruto said, and Sasuke looked up from the water bowl, twisting the wet towel in his hands. His expression was impassive, emotionless, and perhaps a few days ago it might have prompted Naruto to rile up, to say, _Aren't you even worried about Sakura-chan?_ But Naruto had seen Sasuke's utter fury, rising like an inferno beside him at the bridge, had seen the flash of frustration and self-reproach that passed through his eyes whenever one of Sakura's wounds reopened – to know that Sakura's injuries hung heavy on his mind as much as they did on Naruto.

Naruto pursed his lips, thinking of sharp image of pink, crumpling in a rain of silver, and the Uchiha fan, white and red and flaring as Sasuke's eyes bled red. And Haku, mouth bloody and determined as he leapt in front of Zabuza, into Kakashi's strike. Meeting Sasuke's eyes steadily, and firmly, Naruto said, "Haku told me that- True strength only comes when you're trying to protect. When you're protecting someone precious to you."

And the blond saw Sasuke's face stutter, like a ripple extending itself outwards, and Naruto wondered what he was thinking about. Sakura's body as it fell to the ground? The uncontrollable anger that followed, the heat, the fury, the hate?

All Naruto knew that was he wanted to get stronger, stronger so that he would make more of a difference, stronger that he would be more reliable, stronger that next time, he could be the one to show Sakura the sight of his back. Sasuke was a self-centred, emotionally constipated bastard who knew nothing about teamwork, but somehow, Naruto suspected that Sasuke was thinking about the same thing.

Naruto remembered him and Sasuke, somehow moving in perfect coherency, Sasuke taking his Kyūbi in stride and Naruto taking his blood eyes in stride – focused only on the enemy. _Maybe not_ completely _emotionally constipated_ , he thought. _Not_ completely _self-centred. Only about ninety-nine percent._

* * *

When Sakura awoke it was in the night, and while her body fizzled in pain, it was nothing compared to the relief that flooded her as she took in the familiar sight of Tazuna's living room. They had won, then. Far off in the kitchen, she could feel Kakashi's chakra signature, and a few steps away, Naruto, and Sasuke-

Sakura reeled as Sasuke appeared, leaning over her and filling her vision with himself. "Sasu-"

"Why?" He cut her off harshly. The words were low, barely a hiss. But still Sakura could feel the anger, tightly restrained under the flat tones of his voice.

"I-" What was he talking about? Why _what_? She didn't even know how the fight had exactly turned out, other than that her team was fine-

"Why did you step in front of the senbon?"

Comprehension dawned on her, then, and something in her softened as she took in Sasuke's stiff shoulders, the unhappy line of his face.

"Did you think I was weak?" He spat, but somehow, pride didn't look like it was big part of his displeasure. In fact, the tension that had him coiled all the way from his back to his neck seemed more like- "You could have _died_ ," he continued, and his voice had turned higher, slightly more frustrated. "The Dobe cried."

"I'm sorry," Sakura rasped, and winced at the hoarseness of her voice. "And- never," she tried to shake her head, flinching as she felt a wound at her neck stretch and she heard Sasuke's breath hitch for a second. "Never thought you were weak," she finally managed. "Just- moved on instinct. My body-" she grimaced at another pang of pain, and she called for her chakra, easing the ache, "-was already there. I knew-" Despite the situation, she couldn't help the quirk of her lips as she finally connected the dampness on her head to a towel, and a bowl of water beside her. There was a reason Naruto and Sasuke had been sleeping in the living room. "I knew you and Naruto could handle the mess I made. And you did, right?"

Sasuke fell silent, staring at her. She blinked, and for a moment Sasuke's eyes were red, black tomoe spinning before he seemed to notice it himself and rubbed at them, the colour fading back to black. "Sasuke," Sakura started. "Your eyes-" _When had he-?_

But Sasuke had already risen, walking away from her. "Go back to sleep, Sakura," he said.

 _Sharingan awaken in times of_ _desperation_. Watching his back, Sakura nodded. "Okay," she said quietly.

Sakura didn't know that that night, Sasuke had a dream, a dream where _Naruto_ was in the dome with him, and _Naruto_ was the one falling to the floor in streams of blood, and that in this conjured world, _Sasuke_ had decided to move before the needles that shot towards the blond because the blond was a _monkey_ , that was for sure, but he was a monkey that Sasuke didn't especially care to see dead – but the truth was, his body had already been there before he knew it – and _Sakura_ was kneeling over him in a world of pain, her tears landing on his face and crying his name.

* * *

It was only the next morning that Kakashi was able to find Sakura alone, Naruto snoring at a corner of the living room and Sasuke nowhere in sight. She was sitting up, propped against the wall, and facing the open porch, staring at the sunrise.

"Morning," he said, leaning against the entryway of the kitchen, where his sleeping space had been delegated to, and Sakura turned, looking surprised.

"Hey, sensei," she said, rubbing her arms. "You're up early."

Kakashi pushed off of the wall, padding silently into the lounge and seating himself at the table near Sakura. "How are you feeling?"

"Perforated," Sakura said, and grinned weakly. "Our situations are changed, huh? Before, it was me asking that question." Kakashi's own lips quirked, and Sakura asked, "So what exactly happened?"

"What do you remember?" Kakashi asked back, and he saw Sakura chew on her tongue thoughtfully, as if skimming through her memories.

"Jumping in front of Sasuke," she said, and if Kakashi was right, there was an odd sort of satisfaction on her face. But her brows soon furrowed. "Seeing Naruto. He was...angry. A dark sort of chakra. Orange."

Kakashi nodded. "Haku died," he said, smoothly ignoring any discussion of Naruto that Sakura might have tried to instigate. If Sakura was as smart as she seemed, and if she really had managed a glimpse of Naruto before falling unconscious, then the pieces should have been there, but he didn't want to put it together _for_ her if she hadn't herself, yet. And that went for Sasuke, as well. It wasn't his secret to divulge. "Died protecting Zabuza. I killed Zabuza, but not before he killed Gato and his men. He died next to Haku."

The relief was plain on her face. "So everything worked out."

"Yes," Kakashi said, although the feeling of Haku's blood remained on his palm. He remembered Naruto and Sasuke's torn expressions, staring at the bodies of their enemies. Haku and Zabuza had been good, first enemies. Enemies who showed they were human before opponents in battle. It was imperative shinobi knew that.

"I suppose, in a way, Haku and Zabuza must have cared for each other, too," Sakura said, and Kakashi felt a strange rush of affection for her.

Despite all his uncertainty, his doubt, his suspicions, somehow, somehow, Kakashi kept finding himself trusting the girl, liking the girl, wanting to look after the girl – and he couldn't understand why, except for the fact that those emotions were somehow familiar, had probably stemmed from his visions, like seeds in his mind, growing and amplifying with every action of hers that reminded of him of Rin, of Obito, of his old team, like he had _seen_ them before-

"I want to go home, Kakashi-sensei," she announced. When Kakashi looked at her, Sakura tilted her head, and smiled, and the way her green eyes creased into half-moons was somehow familiar, too. "Don't you?"

 _I'll find out who you are_ , Kakashi thought, _as soon as we get back_ , and replied, "Yes."

* * *

"Are you sure you're good to go?" Tsunami asked, her face creased in concern. "Just yesterday, you were…"

"I'm alright, Tsunami-san," Sakura smiled. "I heal fast."

"That she does," Kakashi said, shooting her a knowing look and Sakura quickly turned away. It was clear that he knew Sakura had used her healing abilities to speed up her recuperation. "We thank you for all your kindness and hospitality, Tsunami-san, Tazuna-san."

The bridgebuilder pat Kakashi on the arm with a wide grin. "We should be thanking you and your team, Hatake-san. You saved us from Gato, and the horrible regime we were under. Waves is forever in your debt."

Naruto jumped up beside Kakashi, eyes widening in excitement. "Does that mean the people are free now? They're better off?"

Tazuna laughed, the first sound of unadulterated amusement and happiness that they had heard from him. "Yes. We have a long, _long_ way to go – but this is the first step to recovery, after all." His eyes crinkled warmly at Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto," he said. "To be honest, when you talked about heroes – I thought it was an idealistic bunch of meaningless mumbo-jumbo. But I suppose there are heroes, aren't there? If you look closely enough." Tazuna squinted his eyes. "Because you're so small!" He said, and burst out laughing again, leaving Naruto pull a face at him. After he'd calmed, he turned to the rest of the team. "And you guys, too," Tazuna said. "Sasuke and Sakura. Watching you guys fight…it was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time. You guys will make great shinobi, I'm sure of it."

Sakura saluted in reply, while Sasuke politely inclined his head.

"Well, then, we'll be going," Kakashi said, and with that, they were about to turn away when they heard the door slam open, and a small boy ran out of the house.

"Inari!" Naruto exclaimed, beaming. "Did you come to see us off?"

Stopping next to Tazuna, Inari nodded fervently. "I- I wanted to-" He clenched his fists. "I wanted to say thanks, Naruto! I- I was so sad about my dad's death. I thought if my dad couldn't beat Gato, then no one could!"

Naruto kneeled, looking at the boy eye-level. "Whoa, Inari, it's fine-"

"No!" Inari said firmly. "But I should have thought- if my dad couldn't beat them, then I should have tried, too! To carry on his legacy! Of Waves!"

Naruto's face softened immeasurably, and beside her, Sakura saw Sasuke and Kakashi watch the encounter, their bodies relaxed, looking almost…satisfied.

"I'm going to be brave!" Inari said, "I want to be like you, Naruto!"

The blond staggered, eyes widening. "Wait, like-like _me_?"

"Yeah! I haven't forgotten how you defeated the thugs that came to our house – if it had just been me, I wouldn't have been able to do anything – _or_ save my mum – I would have just run away."

 _So that's what happened_ , Sakura thought, looking up into the sky. _When we were away. Gato's men must have come to Tazuna's house. He was the one they wanted, after all._

"I'm going to become strong, too, okay? So come see me for sure, okay?"

Nodding, Naruto reached out a hand, ruffling Inari's hair vigorously. _He looks way too happy_ , Sakura thought amusedly. _Way too teary-eyed for that big-brother act._

"I will, Inari. Believe it!"

* * *

"Man," Naruto moaned, heading into the main road leading away from Waves. "We should have totally stayed there longer. Did you even _see_ the treatment the townspeople gave us? We were _heroes_ , Sakura-chan!" The blond cackled giddily. "Heroes with a bridge named after us!"

Sakura snorted, her arm slung over Naruto's shoulders as they walked. She had been fine walking by herself – but Naruto had been absolutely adamant, bringing up her injuries. In the end, she had finally acquiesced. "Aren't you even slightly embarrassed? The Great Team 7 Bridge is a _terrible_ name."

"What?" Naruto protested. "It's a great name. One day, I'll have a village named after me – the Great Village of Naruto! Man, that sounds pretty fantastic-"

"Fantastically stupid," Sasuke supplied from beside them, rolling his eyes.

"You-" Naruto turned indignantly on Sasuke, Naruto stepping forward while she was mid-step, and she called out, "Wait, Naruto-" and she was stumbling, then he _stumbled_ -

But Sasuke was already there, grabbing her other arm to steady her, then sliding under it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Sakura stared at him, the feeling of his arm firm and strong at her back. With her weight evenly spread between the two boys, Naruto straightened and sent Sasuke a cross look. "Hey! Get away from Sakura-chan!"

"You're the one who couldn't support her properly," Sasuke scoffed, but there was no real bite to his words, his eyes trained forward instead as he shifted his grip on Sakura's arm down to her wrist, his hands soft on her skin.

"I was totally fine, Sakura-chan," the blond said flippantly, then reduced his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I bet he just did that because he wanted to walk together with us, that jealous bastard."

"Shut _up_ , Dobe."

Sakura laughed, then, feeling the lightest and happiest she had in a while, and her grin widened when she saw Naruto also smiling beside her, and Sasuke, his lips quirking.

Sakura was used to being supported, being carried. By Naruto, by Sasuke, by Kakashi, by Sai, the rest of her team who were all more competent than her. Sometimes, in rare moments of weakness she basked in the attention, but most times it made her feel rather humiliated, rather weak, rather powerless, only able to marvel in the strength that lined their limbs as they held her in their arms.

But now, walking on the quiet path with Naruto and Sasuke's bodies warm beside her, and Kakashi following them closely from the back, she thought that somehow, this felt rather different.

* * *

A/N: It's done! My first draft of this chapter was actually longer, I was actually considering splitting this chapter in two – but I really just wanted to finish the Wave Arc in three chapters T^T So this is a little longer than the rest, I hope the length didn't end up boring you (it's over 10 000 words!).

I just wanted to thank all the support I've been getting. So many of you worried for my health, and reassured me on my update speed – it was unbelievably nice and I was completely blown away. So thank you!

I've also changed the chapter titles, if anyone noticed. I'd been just kind of naming them after a word that I thought fit the theme of each chapter well – but then I realised that might get a little difficult when navigating later on.

Now that Team 7 is finally returning to Konoha, I'll finally be able to widen my scope and write about so many other things, and other characters – make way for excitement and angst!

Please leave your comments below! I love hearing feedback about my work – how each chapter was, the characters, anything. It's genuinely so invigorating, so please don't hesitate! I shamelessly live off on those.


	9. Little Seeds V

After an earful from the Sandaime – _"A missing-nin? Momochi Zabuza? To think it went to a team of genin – why didn't you return? Kakashi, I'd expected proper behav-" –_ and thus a command of three days' rest by Kakashi – _"Well, you heard Hokage-sama. Go home and stick yourselves to bed," –_ it was safe to say thatSakura was flat-out _worried_.

 _No missions,_ Sakura distinctly remembered Sai's words. _Well, one – but that should finish days before your return. I will be waiting for you._

In the darkness of the night returning home from her training – Kakashi had said _rest_ , but there was no way she was _actually_ going to do nothing – Sakura scowled, absently pulling at her gloves. _Days before I return_ , she thought uneasily. _Waiting for me._

Of course, Sakura knew that missions didn't always go to schedule. Ninja were assigned to a mission last-minute all the time, they were sent as back-up, or on a rescue mission for the people already on a mission, and she didn't expect any less happened in Root- But if Sai had been in any of those situations, he would have at least had enough time to leave her a note, of some kind. In fact, Sakura knew that with Sai's personality it would be downright strange for him to go against his word so blatantly.

Which most likely meant that Sai was _late_. Late from his mission.

And being late from a mission was rarely any good news.

 _Let's assume 'days before my return' means three days. A good middle number. It's been two days since I returned from Waves._ Sakura blew out her breath. _Five days._

 _Five days._ She chewed over the words in her mouth. _It's not great_ , she conceded, _but it's far from terrible. Some are late by weeks, even months._

Only that she still didn't like the notion of it, this _disagreement_ with what should have been, of what Sai had expected. Sure, if she was talking about causing differences in the timeline, Sakura was guiltier of it than anyone else, but those had all been somewhat voluntary to an extent. She didn't think Sai was the type to go around radically changing things during his missions, not to mention he had _told_ her he would lay low until his assistance was required. _Is it because of me?_ Sakura thought, biting her lip. _Is it because of what I changed so far? Could that somehow gone all the way to affect Sai?_

Sakura shook her head. _No. Couldn't be. I'm being paranoid. There are barely any links. There are many things that can go awry in a battle. A kunai thrown slightly askew, being even a little bit slow in leaping away from an attack. Those can cause a lot of differences, and there was never a guarantee that Sai or I would move exactly as we did before in a fight, even if it's one we've won in the past. It's perfectly understandable that his mission could go differently in this timeline._

Which, Sakura found, did not reassure her at all, finding herself now even more concerned about his safety. Swallowing thickly, she tried to stamp down the sudden coldness rising from her chest as her imagination leapt. _What if-_ Clenching her hands, Sakura hastened her steps. _No, Sai's stronger than before. Like me._

Yet she walked faster and faster, the onset of uncertainty pushing her towards the comfort of her home. _But what if-_

 _What if Sai di-_

Releasing a breath at the familiar sight of her house, Sakura forwent the front door without hesitation and leapt up to her windowsill, just wanting to rest, calm down and organise her thoughts.

But when she slid open the window and stepped down into her room, her feet landed in something wet, something sticky, something frighteningly warm.

Sakura had arrived to a flood of blood.

* * *

When Sai awoke, it was dawn, he was lying in a puddle of his own blood, and Sakura was unconscious beside him.

Feeling a rush of panic at the sight of her closed eyes, the complete stillness of her body – he immediately raised a hand towards her face, freezing when his fingers left a bloody streak on her cheek and she twitched, a slight furrow of the brows that was gone as soon as it had come. _Sleeping_ , the word floated to his mind, and simultaneously with the relief the pain slammed into him, his body throbbing, the ache concentrating into an area at his side, just below his ribs. Sai tried to raise his head, to better see the injury, but his vision spun – and he dropped back down, a groan escaping him.

Searching through his memories, Sai tried to remember what had happened – the fall of his partner, the _doton_ that had ripped through his face, the rain of kunai – then, his painted lions, desperately catching the _doton_ user in the chest and Sai turning for the weapons' master, leaping towards her-

Then there had been more shinobi. Sai slowly distancing himself from the onset of them, pushing his blade through an enemy's head, breaking the neck of another, avoiding a tower of water, feeling a rib snap, feeling a shuriken rip through his shoulder, getting a kunai pushed into _him –_ only a flurry of blood.

A flurry of blood, Sai thought, that he had only been able to survive because of his heightened abilities. Only because he was faster, stronger, more proficient with his tantō in this timeline. Only because he had known that the _doton_ user had a small chakra supply that he would run out of if Sai dodged his attacks enough. Only because he had known that the weapons master had a weak left leg. Only because he knew that the so-called blackmail on Konoha the leader had claimed was a scam, so there was no need to _actually_ enter the base this time – he only needed to fly, and unleash the specialised scroll of kibakufuda upon the base for a victory.

Only because it was his second time.

Sai remembered laying on his bird, flying back to Konoha, dazed and confused and watching the blood, _his_ blood, slowly soak the painting's body, the face of his unnamed Root partner flitting through his mind. He hadn't been able to save him. He had still died, just as he had before.

But the _way_ he had died had changed. Freezing, like he had been paralysed, his eyes fixing on something _beyond_ himself. His surprise palpable. Just what had he _seen_?

It couldn't have been a jutsu, nor a bloodline limit – firstly, they were shrouded in layers of genjutsu. Secondly, if there had been a shinobi with such powers, why not use it on Sai himself, as well? Thirdly, and most convincingly, it had not happened in the past.

Thus, the timeline had changed. Which equalled to the fact that it must have been Sakura or himself to cause the change. But Sakura had been miles away in Waves, occupied with her own mission. So it had to be him. But he had carried the mission out exactly as he had done before. So just _what_ had changed?

Or, Sai thought, maybe death found its mark regardless of dimension. Regardless of human attempts to thwart it. He bit his lip. But now that something like this had happened, he couldn't ignore it. It would gnaw at him until he found the reason behind it.

A wave of pain ripped through him again, and his hand instinctively flew to his side, startling when he touched the coarse surface of bandages, and the harsh fabric of his jacket cut through haphazardly around the injury. It wasn't completely healed, not even close – but his ribs weren't sticking out at strange angles anymore and he wasn't coughing up blood and he could move his arm. _Sakura_ , Sai thought, and he felt an emotion well up inside of him. Appreciation? Guilt? He last remembered seeing the red gates of Konoha in the night, and feeling a distinct aversion to going to the hospital – _Spoiled_ , he had recalled Sakura saying, to Naruto, Kakashi and himself, kneeling on the floor like schoolchildren being scolded by their teacher, _Sakura-chan, I'll just break into your house in the middle of the night because my arms are falling off and I don't like the smell of hospitals! Sakura, I'll just wait for you with my intestines spilling onto your living floor because the nurses are annoying! Everyone, take advantage of your personal medic Sakura!_

 _Habit,_ Sai concluded. Habit had made him seek out Sakura's house, slide open the window, and even have the briefest moments of coherency to close it before tumbling onto the floor.

Or was it something else? Was it...compulsion? Did he miss the past? Was that why he subconsciously returned to Sakura's home? For company? For familiarity? He _had_ been spoiled – spoiled rotten by Team 7, by their antics, by their rambunctiousness.

So much that now he felt almost – _empty_ , alone under the mask of Root and cutting through the enemy with no one by his side, a certainty no one would grieve should he die – Sakura had her _real_ team back now – returning to the cold, hard floor of his apartment with the knowledge that if he passed Naruto, or Kakashi, or any of the Rookies on the streets, they would not know him.

* * *

"My," Kakashi said, leaping down from the roofs onto Training Grounds 3. He had only been passing by, but the familiar sight of blond and black hair had proven itself irresistible.

Walking towards the centre of the clearing, Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "This is rare," he commented, looking back and forth between Naruto, and Sasuke. Well, the Naruto _s_ to be precise, the blond apparently practising target practice with his clones – and a few steps away, Sasuke hacking viciously into a wooden dummy. "Look at this, my two students training _voluntarily_ within a hundred-metre radius of each other. _Especially_ on a day off." He cocked his head. "Should I be celebrating?"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, turning towards him, and Kakashi winced at the sight of multiple Narutos shouting in sync.

Harshly pulling out an kunai buried handle-deep from the dummy's chest, Sasuke scowled in irritation as he neared the jōnin, as well. "The _Water Country_ can hear you, Dobe."

Naruto made a face in reply, although his clones dissipated, only leaving the blond closest to Kakashi. "I came 'cause Sakura-chan told me she usually trains here." He huffed in reply to Kakashi's question. "But she wasn't, so I figured I'd wait around, training like a good, hard-working, Hokage-aiming ninja when _he_ came," the blond jerked his thumb unceremoniously at Sasuke, "I guess he wanted to _really_ see me."

Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes. " _I_ came?" He said incredulously. "I was _originally_ here, until _you_ came with your circus of clones and was too stupid to realise someone was here because you have the sensing abilities of a turkey-"

"A- a _turkey_?" Naruto reeled. "What, you-"

"Okay, okay," Kakashi said, holding his hands up placatingly. "So it was a coincidence. My bad. I should have known." Still, even as the boys glowered at each other, Kakashi felt a strange pang of pride go through him. _Although_ , he thought, _the fact that one of them didn't leave immediately when they saw one another and kept training says a lot about how far they've come._ Briefly, he remembered seeing Naruto and Sasuke facing each other over Sakura's unconscious body at Tazuna's home, and wondered what it must have been that they were talking about. "Anyway," he said. "So does that mean you two haven't seen Sakura?"

"Sakura-chan?" The blond perked back up immediately at the mention of her name, the change of topic also seemingly distracting Sasuke out of his irritation. "I haven't seen her since we got back from Waves," Naruto said, beginning to pout. "I was gonna ask her to train with me, but I just can't seem to find her-"

"Why do you want to know?" Sasuke asked back instead, crossing his arms, and Kakashi shrugged.

"Just something I thought I'd talk to her about," he said evasively. "I suppose that means you haven't seen her, either."

Sasuke slowly shook his head, dark eyes sharpening. It was clear that he wanted to ask more, but he was interrupted when Naruto piped up, raising a finger as if remembering something.

" _Although_ ," Naruto said, tilting his head. "I did see something weird yesterday." Pausing, he frowned. "I dunno, maybe I'm wrong, but it's been kinda bothering me."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "Something weird?"

"Yeah," the blond replied absently, apparently digging through his memories. "I was getting home from Ichiraku's last night, and it was maybe like around seven or something, because from six-thirty to seven the old man cuts the price a bit and I remember-"

"Get to the point." Sasuke impatiently cut him off, and Naruto stopped, pulling another face at him.

" _Anyway_ , I was going home and I passed what I thought was Sakura-chan's house…"

The blond trailed off thoughtfully, and feeling unease slowly curl in his gut, Kakashi prompted, "What you _thought_?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, scratching his head. "I guess it wasn't though, cause some bloody guy was going through the window." Immediately, Sasuke's expression changed, and as Kakashi's eyes narrowed Naruto made a confused sound, the furrow between his brows deepening. "But like, I _think_ that was her house – we all dropped her off there only like day before yesterday. It's the house on the street with the broken streetlight, yeah?"

"Some bloody guy?" Sasuke repeated, lips growing thin.

Naruto squinted his eyes, as if trying to conjure up the image in his mind. "Yeah. It was dark, so I couldn't really see – but I think it was a guy, grasping his stomach and staggering. He kinda _dropped_ down from somewhere in the air down onto the fence, swayed a bit, and like, _pushed_ himself _t_ hrough the window." He shook his head. "It was weird, man."

There were a few seconds of silence, then, Naruto obviously trying to recall the image with better clarity while Sasuke clenched his jaw, the line of his face clearly displeased. "You didn't check up on her?" Sasuke said, looking vaguely frustrated at the blond.

"I wasn't sure!" Naruto protested. "What if it _wasn't_ Sakura-chan's house?" At Sasuke's unconvinced expression, he added, "Anyway, I got worried, so I watched for a bit from the street just in case. It was pretty quiet..."

Watching the Naruto shift uncomfortably before him, and Sasuke scowl dissatisfiedly, Kakashi pursed his lips. _One thing over,_ he thought, _and another rises. There's really no break with this girl, is there?_ "I think you guys might be forgetting something," he said, and both boys turned questioningly towards him. "Sakura lives with her parents," Kakashi pointed out. "She's not as vulnerable as you guys might think."

It was almost painfully plain that the boys hadn't realised. Sasuke looked away, hair falling across his face while Naruto's eyes widened, before breaking out in a sheepish smile. "Oh, yeah!" Naruto laughed, and there was a slight shade of wistfulness to his voice. "I forgot."

 _When home and family are completely separate things,_ Kakashi thought solemnly, _when one has to be reminded that others have family._ "Besides," he continued, making sure his voice was considerably lighter. "You aren't even completely sure if it was her house, are you? If something _had_ happened," he said, "We would have known about it. I'll check up on it if I see her, so don't worry about it and just wait, Naruto, Sasuke."

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes to her mother's surprised shout, and the feeling of warm hands on her face. Absently, she was aware of the streaming light from her side. _Is it morning alread-_

"Sakura? Sakura!" Mebuki was calling, beginning to shake her shoulders and Sakura groaned, wincing at the aching aftershocks of having used her chakra up far too much far too quickly. Sluggishly raising her hand, she gently pushed her mother away.

"I'm fine," Sakura replied, rubbing at her eyes and trying to focus her vision. The smell of blood was still pungent in the room, and as she took in her mother's pale, alarmed face above her Sakura sought to reassure her first, shaking her head, "It isn't mine. The blood-"

 _The blood._ Her eyes widening, Sakura instantly sat up, placing a palm flat on the wooden floor, and turning towards where all the blood at been, where the tantō had been thrown at the foot of her bed, where _Sai_ had been-

Except that no one was. Even the puddle of blood was gone, the faintest patch of dark below the window and the lingering smell of metal in the air as the only sign that he had indeed been here and it wasn't simply a dream. For a second, Sakura felt her breath stutter in surprise, before she remembered her mother was still staring at her in half-shocked, half-panicked state, and she quickly turned back towards her. "Sorry, mum," Sakura said, her smile coming out tired. "You must've been surprised-"

"The blood, Sakura," her mother said, still sounding rattled. She was on her knees, a hand hovering worriedly near her face. "I can smell it." Her thumb felt coarse as it traced her cheek, and Sakura realised that it was not her mother but _her_ , a streak of something hard and crusted on her face. "It's on your face." Mebuki's expression twisted in concern. "What happened?"

"I-" Raising her hand, she quickly scratched the blood away, revealing the smooth skin underneath. "It's not mine," she repeated, unsure of what to say, what to tell her mother, the woman that found her daughter unconscious in a room thick with the tang of blood. "A friend," she finally said, biting her lip under her mother's confused gaze. "A friend got injured on his mission." Not wanting to mention her medical-ninjutsu – even to her own mother, there were so many secrets, so many things she couldn't say – she shook her head. "He couldn't make it to the hospital. I had to help him get there, and I was so tired, I just slept on the floor-"

Mebuki's expression hardened, and aware that she wasn't convincing anyone, Sakura cast a shamed glance behind her mother, only to see a tray of food on the floor haphazardly lying near the door. Miso soup, a small bowl of rice, tamagoyaki – _You're never here for meals anymore, Sakura. I know you're busy, but I'd still like to talk with my daughter sometimes._ Sakura felt something lodge in her throat, uncomfortable and prickly. "Sorry, mum," she finally said, and the look on Mebuki's face worsened. "It's really nothing. I'm not hurt, anyway," she continued, trying to sound bright. "You know I'd be more careful than that – I'm your daughter!"

Slowly, and reluctantly, her mother nodded.

Haruno Mebuki ultimately left her room looking torn between parental concern and accepting the inevitable pain that came with having a shinobi child – the moment when their children left, into the bloodbath and away from familial protection. Before closing the door behind her however, she turned, gesturing towards the tray of food she had straightened and placed on Sakura's drawer. "Take a shower first," she said, and her voice sounded firm again, back to the headstrong mother Sakura knew. "Then eat, Sakura. Okay?"

Sakura nodded, smiling reassuringly at an attempt to appease her. Absently, Sakura wished that her father was here – not miles away at Tea, only bound to return after a fortnight at the earliest. Her mother was an outgoing, confident woman, but Sakura also knew that she hurt easily and became lonely easily – in the past, Sakura had been there to chatter endlessly around the house, but now, even she knew that she was barely there for her mother.

As Sakura heard her walk down the stairs away from her room, she stood, blowing out a heavy breath trying to push away the memory of her mother's pained expression and cringing at how heavy her limbs felt. _Damn it, Sai_ , she thought. _Worrying me then going around dying in people's bedrooms._ It was too bad that she couldn't go crashing through his apartment door herself – next time he dared to show his face, she would _pummel_ it – and shuffling towards the windowsill, she plucked out a small piece of paper that had been softly fluttering between the panes. Both the unique scroll paper and the handwriting was familiar.

 _I'm sorry I was late. Thank you for healing me. I am going to the hospital, just like you would have told me to do._

* * *

Sakura saw him while walking idly down the streets towards the market district. It was well into the afternoon – her mother had found her an hour or so after noon, and she had spent the next couple trying to make up for her past misadventure, telling Mebuki stories about her Waves mission. It was tiring, she thought, to calmly talk about meeting a nuke-nin and make it sound like it had been nothing harder than stabbing a piece of meat with a fork. The last thing she had wanted to do was to alarm her mother more.

It was only when she had dragged herself outside, feeling too listless for training yet not wanting to stay home – perhaps she would go visit Naruto, or maybe see some of the Rookies, it really _had_ been too long – when she saw him, clad in a dark attire and a simple shinobi pouch fastened around his waist.

Sai, standing in front of a vegetable vendor with a contemplative expression on his face. Setting her jaw, Sakura stamped down the instinctive desire to fly-kick him in his face, settling on glaring at him from a distance away.

He looked fine – _more_ than fine, for a person that had been bleeding his insides out yesterday in her bedroom, but Sakura remembered the disaster that had been his chest, with broken ribs and several puncture wounds. She had only been able to heal the worst of the damage before running dangerously low on her chakra and passing out, and considering that the hospital only healed just enough to direct the body in the right direction for recuperation – Sakura knew that beneath his shirt, his stomach was surely wrapped in thick bandages.

The sight of Sai face-down and bloody on her floor had nearly given heart-attack, but secretly, she had been glad that her home had been a viable place for Sai to drop by. She knew that when a mission turned especially deadly, there were times where the ninja could barely make it to the gates, dropping down bloody and unconscious at the outskirts of Konoha. She had seen enough times where Izumo and Kotetsu or some other passing shinobi would frantically ferry them into the hospital, and she herself had similarly found and carried men and women away a few times. But sometimes things didn't turn out so lucky, and in dire situations where every second mattered, receiving treatment even a mere minute late could be fatal. If that was the case, then she was glad to know Sai still had considered the notion of coming by her home, just like the members of Team 7 had done so in the past.

Except, that in itself also had its problems. What if a similar incident occurred, and like yesterday, she _wasn't_ home? They weren't in the same team anymore, and so Sakura didn't know Sai's schedule, and he didn't know hers – even last night, if she had decided to train even half an hour more, and arrived home later than she had – it wouldn't have been pretty at all. Not to mention it would have been especially bad if her mother had chosen to enter her room for some reason or the other.

They needed to talk, Sakura decided. She needed to tell him about her mission at Waves, and she needed him to tell her about his. They needed to talk about their schedule, not to mention discuss what to do in emergencies – reckless incidents like the last night couldn't happen again. _And_ they needed to sort out their plans for the Chūnin Exams. The earlier it happened, it was for the better.

Cautiously, Sakura moved through the crowd, slowly approaching him. Was Root allowed to talk to people outside? Would that immediately raise flags? She knew that she couldn't go _openly_ looking for him, but she also doubted anyone was _watching_ Root members as well as their every move – it just wasn't practical. Did that mean she could simply go up to him? After all, they didn't even need to _talk_ , just a silent message to let him know to she needed him to visit her as soon as possible-

Then, when she was only a few steps away, Sai looked up from the crates of groceries, recognition colouring his face as he took her in. "Sakura," he called out her name.

Eyes widening, she quickly cleared the last few feet between them, taking her position beside him as she stared at him incredulously. "We're allowed to talk?" She said in a hushed whisper.

His eyes fell back down to the tomato in his hand. "It is not ideal," he admitted. "But it _is_ crowded. And Root are not watched." If she looked closely, Sakura thought, she could see a faint shade of bitterness cross over his features as he placed the fruit down, picking up a shinier, fuller one instead. "After all, would you be concerned about Root members having social contact?"

Sakura's own gaze dropped to the boxes of tomatoes. It was a fair point. Perhaps for ex-Root, or a Konoha shinobi that had been introduced to Root at a later stage – but surely not for ninja that had been indoctrinated from childhood. Social contact would be somewhat of a…distant concept. Even for Sai, who had spent years by their side, and who Sakura thought looked more and more like a human instead of a doll everyday, for people other than Team 7, Sai had still been something of an uncomfortable enigma that they couldn't read. _Like looking at something beyond a glass wall_ , Yamato had once described to her. _A soundproof glass wall. They have their own world, and we have our own._

"I told you not to seek me out because it is never a good idea to stand out," Sai said. "But it does not mean we have to avoid each other like a plague in public. Perhaps keeping it to the minimum would be a plan."

Solemnly, Sakura nodded, recognising the implied meaning behind his words that they should be parting ways. Then, remembering her original purpose, she discreetly scanned her surroundings before stepped slightly closer to Sai. To the public, they would look like two genin simply running an errand, conversing. Leaning in, she muttered, "You better come by after you're done with the rest of the shopping, by the way." Obvious threat dripped into her tone. "I'm going to _rip_ you to _shreds_ for what you did last night."

Pulling away and meeting his eyes, Sakura smiled sweetly at him while Sai grimaced, clearly unenthused as the consequences of his previous actions seemingly caught up with him.

"Yes?" Sakura prompted as he continued to stay silent.

As on reflex, Sai obediently answered, "Yes, Sakura."

Satisfied, Sakura nodded, secretly resisting the urge to smile. Sai's reaction reminded her of the past where she would force the members of her team on their knees for whatever trouble they went around causing. Glad she was able to talk to him so easily, she was just about to excuse herself, maybe go find Naruto, join him for dinner – when Sai suddenly tensed, one that froze him all the way up his spine. His eyes fixed decidedly on something behind her, and she frowned. "Sai? What's wro-"

"Sakura!"

Words instantly turned into ashes in her mouth as she recognised the voice coming from behind her. _This timing-_ Gritting her teeth, Sakura instinctively raised a hand towards Sai's arm as she turned towards the source of the shout, pushing him away. _This is bad, Sai, you need to disappear-_ But Sai stayed rooted to his spot, and Sakura couldn't tell if he was intentionally ignoring her signals, or- _why aren't you moving?_ She impatiently looked back at Sai, and her hand went slack as she took in his expression, dark eyes stuttering somewhere between the typical Root impassivity and a stricken sort of helplessness.

 _First time_ , she realised. _For him, it's the first time-_

Sakura resisted the urge to curse. Why hadn't she thought of this? She had thought she was being so cautious, so careful, being paranoid about talking to Sai, and yet-

When Sai finally seemed to return to his bearings, and took an automatic step back, face straightening, it was too late. Sasuke was already upon them, eyes sharp and mouth flat as he moved towards them through the teeming streets.

* * *

Whoever he was, Sasuke didn't like him.

Paper white skin, ink black hair. Oddly blank eyes. Distinctly unfamiliar yet standing comfortably beside Sakura. The impassivity of his face went beyond the simple emotional restraint of a ninja, and Sasuke felt his brows instinctively furrow at the sheer unpleasantness of it, a cold feeling of aversion sliding up his skin. The artificiality was even worse that Sasuke had _seen_ the boy's face practically reconstruct itself after he had called out Sakura's name, like gears moving, as if withdrawing himself, as if preparing a different sort of expression for a stranger. It had changed the entire way he held himself, making him almost look inhuman, like an empty doll – and something about the _difference_ of it grated on his nerves.

When he neared the pair enough to a comfortable distance, the boy's face was perfectly clear, opaque and appropriately polite. Yet Sasuke could still feel his gaze roving on his form, as if analysing him from head to toe – and feeling both unease and irritation crawl on him, Sasuke turned away, addressing Sakura instead. "Where were you?"

"H-huh?" Sakura looked startled at his question. It was clear that she was distracted, her eyes darting quickly to the boy before fixing onto him again. Sasuke didn't miss the way she had instinctively stepped closer to her- friend? Acquaintance? _Whoever_ he was to her – as if pushing him behind her back, as if protecting him, as if this meeting between the two males wasn't one she had particularly wanted.

The thought sent a thread of displeasure through him that Sasuke didn't quite care for.

"Sasuke," Sakura said, looking terribly awkward. "What are you doing here?" Then, as if realising how ridiculous the question sounded in the common market streets of Konoha – she quickly continued on, changing the topic. "What do you mean, 'where were you'?"

"Your-" Sasuke started, then broke off when he took in her stance. She was covering at least half of the boy with her body, and something about the sight made him feel particularly unforgiving. Making sure his face was schooled into complete indifference able to match the boy's in tow, Sasuke cocked his head towards him instead. "Who is he?"

To her benefit, Sakura didn't jump, nor look anymore rattled, but he still took pleasure in the way she quietly exhaled, as if she had expected the question, as if she had known he never would have let it pass. _Her own fault_ , Sasuke thought. He may have let her business go if she hadn't reacted like a deer caught in headlights herself. Seemingly resigned, Sakura moved away, leaving the two comfortably able to assess each other, but then she _grabbed_ the boy, her fingers wrapping around his wrist. To the undoubting eye, it might have looked natural, a casual placing of hand on one's arm to introduce one's friend to another – but Sasuke didn't need his Sharingan to notice the way her nails subtly dug in his pale arm in a silent, unspoken warning.

"This is Sai," Sakura said, and while she had now let go of the boy, no, _Sai_ – she looked no more pleased at the situation. "My friend." Turning to Sai, her voice took on a more careful edge. "Sai, this is Sasuke, my teammate."

"I see." He smiled, and it was a look that made Sasuke's impression of him even worse. "Nice to meet you, Sasuke-kun." Then he paused, as if thinking, as if readying himself to say something, and suddenly, Sakura's eyes widened, her face whipping towards Sai with an expression that looked something like _don't you dare_ -

Slowly, the curve of the boy's lips quirked higher, and he thought this one looked slightly, slightly more amused, somehow different from his previous, plastic smile. Brows furrowing, Sasuke waited for his next words.

"You look kind of like a douche," he said, smiling. "Don't you, Sasuke-kun?"

* * *

Sai was _crazy._

Sakura stared at him in disbelief, looking back and forth between the two boys, one seemingly utterly pleased with himself and the other scowling in a mix of incredulity and disgust. _Yay_ , she thought. She did love it so when people around her got along together so well.

At the back of her mind, Sakura thought she might have laughed if the recipient hadn't been Sasuke. _Ugly. Dickless. Fatso._ Sai's nicknames were familiar, brutally insensitive, and had become almost like an inside-joke between them – but she simply didn't have the courage to laugh in the middle of such an awkward situation.

She remembered Sai's faraway expression, the confusion that would always lace his words when he asked her, or Naruto about Sasuke in the past.

 _You acted so serious and melancholy in the past_ , Sakura thought, grimacing, _and this is what you do in real life!_

As silence descended upon them, Sakura broke in, forcing a bark of laughter. "Sorry, Sasuke," she said. "He doesn't mean that. It's like- an icebreaker, you know?" She turned to Sai, jabbing her elbow into his side none-too-discreetly. Vaguely aware of Sasuke's gaze moving towards her, Sakura was sure that once she looked directly at him, his face would say something like, _and you're friends with this guy because?_ Silently, she pleaded for Sai to say something, _something with actual tact this time, please-_

"Sakura," Sai said abruptly, as if answering her mental plea and she startled, head snapped towards him.

"Y-yes?"

"It looks like I have to go."

"Wait- _what_?" Sakura felt her face scrunch in surprise. Sure, she had motioned Sai to leave earlier, but to be fair, she had been taken off guard, and neither of them had been prepared for this, and now once Sai left, Sasuke would _rip_ into her with his questions- But there also wasn't any merit in staying, Sakura supposed. It was already awkward enough already, and this wasn't a meeting that they had exactly planned on. It might be better for him to leave now, before Sasuke grew suspicious of him, or began asking _him_ questions. "You're going? Now?"

"Yes," Sai replied, and Sakura noticed something about him had quickened, as if in a hurry – and something inside her compelled to match his pace, and she nodded.

"A-Alright, then."

"Don't worry," he told her. "I still remember what you told me." Then Sai inclined his head to her, before doing the same to Sasuke, and he melted away into the crowd, seemingly disappearing between the waves of people.

Something about him had suddenly changed, Sakura thought, feeling unease grip her stomach.

But for now – there were more urgent things to be worried about. Slowly turning towards Sasuke, Sakura smiled weakly as he raised an expectant eyebrow at her, one that clearly demanded an explanation.

Screw ripping him to shreds. If she came out of this alive, she was going to _kill_ Sai.

* * *

Leaping up on the roofs, and making his way across the building tops, Sai refused to look back towards Sakura and Sasuke. He did feel guilty for leaving Sakura like so abruptly – but his priority was to first get away, make distance. She had been flustered enough with them running into Sasuke – it probably wouldn't have been good to overwhelm Sakura even more, lest the presence watching them got rather bored and decided to join them instead. Not to mention, he thought grimly, something told him that this was probably an encounter that would be done best with as little people around as possible. Nearing an empty, isolated training grounds, and making sure no one else was nearby, Sai slowed down, satisfied when the only ones present were himself, and his follower.

Perhaps a few days ago, Sai wouldn't have drawn him away so intentionally. Perhaps a few days go, he might have ignored the presence, appropriately said his farewells to Sakura and Sasuke, and returned to his apartment, pretending to be perfectly ignorant. But now...

It was at a bad timing. Too many unexpected things had happened, and while he was full of his own questions from his mission, too. If he decided to hide here, the arrows of suspicion would then move on to Sakura. Sai wasn't completely sure if this was his part to play, something still felt too early, it had barely been two months since they had travelled back in time- but it was also too late, now. He had already made his appearance on the stage. He just had to survive this, somehow, and hopefully end it fast as possible. Then he could regroup with Sakura and discuss. Sai only hoped nothing would go terribly wrong.

Quietly, Sai jumped down onto the grounds below. "I believe the appropriate etiquette," he finally said, turning, pausing, "is to simply say hello. Isn't that so?" Tilting his head up towards the trees above, Sai tried to smile. "Kakashi-senpai."

* * *

To be fair, Kakashi thought he had been quite smart.

It was true that he had been trying to seek her out alone. A three-day break bestowed by the Hokage-sama himself – it was his responsibility to put it to good use, finally find some answers to the questions he had been stewing on – not to mention he had given Sakura two days to recuperate. The epitome of consideration, Kakashi thought.

Then he had run into Naruto and Sasuke, and he had gotten unexpectedly lucky.

Of course, the story of a bloody ninja going through his student's window could hardly be constituted as lucky – but the way Sasuke's expression had changed _had_ been rather enlightening, shaping into an idea in his mind.

After all, Kakashi could do as he had said and continue to look for her himself – but so what if he did find her? Then what would he do?

He was in a sticky situation – everyone around Sakura seemed perfectly normal, seemed to think _Sakura_ was perfectly normal – but here he was seeing visions and snippets of abilities that he frankly, shouldn't quite have been seeing. But she had already given all her excuses out to him regarding her abilities. And the visions were a difficult subject to approach Sakura about considering it seemed as though she herself didn't know anything about it. Which meant the only options left were to go to the higher-ups, or corner Sakura non-discriminately and simply force her to spill whatever she knew. And somehow, Kakashi wasn't terribly keen on either of them.

So deciding to take himself up on his ingenious idea, he had cloned himself, tagged it to Naruto, and deigned to tag Sasuke himself. After all, he knew Naruto would be useless even if he found her, distracted at Sakura's smile, then an offer to train with him here, and a suggestion for lunch at Ichiraku's there – and he would forget what he had for breakfast this morning. But Sasuke – the chances of harsh questioning were higher. And the world knew of Sakura's feelings for him.

Sasuke would ask her about the ninja, and he would watch their exchange, perhaps he could pick up something from a third person's perspective – and if nothing bore fruit in the end, _then_ Kakashi would toss up a coin between his options, or something of the kind.

All in all, he had thought, not the best, but regardless, not a bad plan.

As Kakashi had expected, Sasuke had gone off looking for Sakura, and as Kakashi had expected, he had found her. But what he _hadn't_ expected had been Sakura's company.

If he hadn't been so cautious of Sakura already, Kakashi thought the observation might have passed him. He might not have recognised the blankness of his eyes, might not have assessed Sakura's companion with more wariness and attention than he usually did, hell, might not even have _looked_ at him. But he had, and now Kakashi wasn't sure if that had entirely been a good thing. It was like falling into an endless abyss – just when he thought he would hit the floor, he kept on falling. _This is why they say ignorance is bliss_ , he thought, and scowling, leapt down from the and down onto the training grounds below.

"You know me," Kakashi said, matter-of-factly. He didn't know what to expect, not from this… _boy_ , roughly the same age as his students yet undeniably _different_ , from the way he stood, casually, comfortably, to the way his face remained carefully, carefully empty.

"Yes," he replied. "I don't believe there is anyone that doesn't."

"I'll get straight to the point," Kakashi said. "What is your relationship with my student?"

The boy remained unfazed. "Friends, I believe she called the term." When Kakashi's lips pursed in distaste, he continued, "Can she not have friends?"

"She can," Kakashi replied. He felt the words turn into ice in his mouth even as he spoke them. "But Root can't."

There was a second of silence. The boy hadn't stuttered, but his expression had stayed stock still, the only way a Root could be caught off guard.

"I'll ask again," Kakashi said, slowly advancing. To his credit, he didn't back away. "What is your relationship with my student?"

The Root continued to steadily meet his eyes. "And I believe I've already answered," he said. He didn't deny his affiliation – but then, Kakashi supposed, it wouldn't make for a very effective defence, considering Kakashi had _belonged_ to Root once. He had seen many, many shinobi make the exact same expression the boy crafted over his features. "I do not have any ulterior motives, if that is what you are concerned about, Kakashi-senpai."

Immediately, like a second language, Kakashi understood the meanings behind his words. _Root has no designs on her._ Kakashi couldn't deny that the consternation of it had crossed his mind, however briefly it may have been – he may have been suspicious of Sakura, but he didn't want an organisation as deep in the filth of politics as Root anywhere near his students, and definitely not one like Danzō. _So Root is not interested. And yet a member is "friends" with a mere genin?_ "Don't call me that," Kakashi said instead, his voice curt. "You might know me, but I don't know you."

And _that_ , Kakashi noted with surprise, was definitely a flinch. Minuscule, and hardly visible, but a flinch. "My name is Sai," he offered, and Kakashi's brows furrowed at the way he spoke the word, _almost_ angry, a note of almost-frustration underpinning his voice.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Root don't have names."

"No," he – _Sai_? – admitted. "But I do."

It was strange, Kakashi thought. He seemed like a doll, as all Root did – but there was something there, _something_ below the cracks- A boy this age, to be finished with training and out in Konoha's streets, he would have clearly grown up indoctrinated, and yet- _A child Root with a name-_

"If that is all you wished to ask me about," Sai said, "May I be excused?"

He frowned. There were still too many questions. Or to be more precise, now he had even _more_ questions- "No," Kakashi said, but the Root was already moving further away. After this, the heavens knew when Kakashi would see him again – if the Root had any brains himself, he would probably never show himself before Kakashi – and he _shun-shin_ ed, crossing the distance between them in a mere instant and re-appearing in front of the boy, grabbing his arm. "You-" Absently, he noted how small he was – only slightly taller than Sasuke, really-

Then Kakashi forgot what he was about to say next, vaguely aware of his grip immeasurably tightening on the boy, hearing a sound of pain – before he lost his train of thought, too, and he swayed, feeling his head spin-

A tree. His book. A tall boy, with a large scroll spread out before him,each stroke of his paintbrush immaculate.

Pale, pale skin, a tantō at his waist- A deeper, flat voice.

 _Why is Naruto so desperate? Sakura, too- He is only a traitor._

 _Right. But his pain caused that._

 _Sakura told me that everyone has their own pain._

Shrugging. _I'm not saying it justifies his actions. But there will always be a part of Naruto and Sakura that feels responsible for him._

A pause. _And you, Kakashi-senpai? Do you feel responsible, too?_

Facing dark, uncomprehending eyes, feeling something painful, _painful_ rising in his chest – _guilt_ , Kakashi realised, _again_ – and he spat out a heavy breath, struggling to regain his balance, resisting the urge to curse as he tried to shake the visage away. _For the love of- is this just going to randomly happen now-_

Then his vision slowly re-focused, and his fingers slackened, which had been gripping hard enough to bruise- Kakashi let go of the boy as if he had been burned, following the line of the boy's arm up to his face with his eyes, body stuttering short as the implications of what he had just seen set in. The Root was staring up at uncertainly, his brows furrowed, something like panic flittering through his expression, looking confused-

And Kakashi realised, _same eyes_.

* * *

"So," Sasuke said, hands pushed inside his pockets, eyes trained forward as they moved through the streets. The skies were turning orange, the sun beginning to set and the market districts full of people finishing up with their shopping, and families and shinobi moving towards the restaurants for dinner. It would be awfully easy for Sakura to slip in with the people and disappear, but something told her that Sasuke would make sure she regretted it should she run. Feeling resigned to her destiny, she instead steadily matched his pace, wondering where he was going. Then again, she supposed it wasn't terribly practical to stop in the middle of crowded streets to talk, either. "Who was he?"

Brows furrowing, she looked questioningly at Sasuke. "I told you," Sakura said. "A friend."

"No," Sasuke scowled. "I meant his _rank_. He was our age," he said, "but not a genin."

 _How like Sasuke_ , Sakura thought exasperatedly, _to enquire about that first._ "He's not a genin," she conceded, carefully planning her next words. She definitely couldn't reveal the truth – there was no way she could tell him Sai was in Root, considering it was an underground organisation and all. Sakura didn't know Sai's exact rank at this time, not if it meant he was already at an ANBU-level despite his age nor if he even took the typical promotion exams like the rest of them. No matter, there would be no benefit at all in making Sai out to be one of the stronger shinobi, lest it stoked Sasuke's complex again. "Chūnin," Sakura said. "He's a chūnin."

Sasuke didn't reply, apparently considering her words. She briefly wondered if even that was too high of a rank, when his lips twisted into a scowl. "So was he the one who broke into your house?"

"Wh-what?"

At her reaction, his eyes coolly slid to her. "I said, was he the one that broke into your house last night?"

"How do you know that?"

Sasuke made a sound of disbelief and displeasure before turning a corner into the left, and Sakura realised he was heading towards the district of restaurants. "So it was true."

"No, wait- but how did you-" How was it that Sasuke seemed to be catching her in every incident of her life that she _didn't_ want to be caught in? First Sai, and now this- As Sasuke turned an unexpected corner again, she hastened her pace to walk next to him again. "Were you _watching_ me or something?"

"Don't be stupid," Sasuke scoffed. At her confused expression, he finally answered, "A turkey saw it."

"A _turkey_?" Sakura echoed. "What-"

"Why?"

"Why?" Sakura blinked. "Oh." Realising his meaning, she quickly glanced down before raising her eyes to him again. "Because he was hurt," she said, "He just needed my help to get to the hospital-"

Sasuke abruptly stopped then, fully facing her, and surprised, Sakura looked up at him uncertainly. His brows were furrowed, but Sakura couldn't tell if it was disapproval, annoyance or what- Her heart beating, she warily waited as he opened his mouth-

But he was cut off. " _Sasuke-kun!_ " Then, a shriller, unhappy, "Forehead?"

Her head snapped to the side, eyes widening when she saw Ino, a few feet away, and flanking her on both sides, Shikamaru and Chouji. _Team 10_ , Sakura thought, and with it, a giddy sort of feeling that had her forgetting all about Sasuke's disgruntlement and breaking out in a smile. _It's been too long._

"Ino!" Sakura exclaimed as the trio quickly neared them. "And Shikamaru! Chouji!" Eager to talk to the blonde, Sakura stepped forward, stamping down the memory of her bloody body, just glad to see everyone again – when Ino only scowled at her before passing her without a second thought, going to Sasuke instead.

"Sasuke-kun!" She cooed. "What a coincidence! Are you here for dinner?"

Retracting her outstretched hands, Sakura locked eyes with Shikamaru and Chouji, who, after being ditched by Ino, were looking at her with similarly awkward expressions, the Nara muttering, "Troublesome," under his breath while Chouji grimaced apologetically.

"Forgot," she sheepishly told them, "Forgot Ino and I were fighting." Sakura sighed inwardly. Right. This was the after they 'cut' their friendship in a battle for Sasuke's affections. Looking back on it, it had been stupid, born of childish stubbornness of two pre-teen young girls, but at the time, both of them had taken it very seriously.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "You can forget something like that?"

 _I wish I could_ , she mentally supplied.

"Sorry, Sakura," Chouji said, "You seemed so happy to see Ino, too."

"Nah, it's okay," she waved off his apology, even the background noise of Ino's excited shrieking and Sasuke's short, irritated voice making her feel rather nostalgic as she stood before them. She had been impossibly glad to see Naruto and Sasuke again, but it was also beyond nice to see other Rookies – a reminder of the time when they had all been young and immature, a time before they had been forced to stand on a war field. Inwardly, Sakura decided to go visit all the other Rookies to once she had the time – maybe this time, instead of being only so obsessed with Sasuke, she could actually make new, deeper friendships with others. "So," she said, "What are you guys doing here? Dinner?"

Shikamaru nodded, while Chouji grinned, his grip tightening on his bag of potato chips in excitement. _Still thinking about eating while eating, huh?_ Sakura thought in amusement.

"What are you guys getting?" Then, an idea forming in her mind, she leant forward. "How about eating together with us?" It saved her from Sasuke, _and_ she would be able to talk to the members of Team 10. A good opportunity, if she might say so herself.

"That would make Ino happy, for sure," Chouji easily agreed.

Shikamaru made a face. "And louder." He raised an eyebrow at Sakura. "I don't mind, but isn't Sasuke going to?"

As if on cue, there was a hand on her shoulder, turning her around. "Sakura," Sasuke said, looking as though he had gotten years taken off his life and tugging his arm away from Ino, who wasted no time in grabbing it again with a flirty smile. "We're going."

"What?" Sakura protested. "But-"

"Don't go with _her_ , Sasuke-kun!" Ino cut her off. "You'll have so much more fun with me!"

"No." With an impatient sound, Sasuke pulled his arm away from her again, and this time as Ino reached out again, Sakura saw him ready to retaliate, no doubt about to say something like, _You're annoying-_

Which for past Sakura would have been _pure enjoyment_ , but right now she just wanted to repair her friendship with Ino, and have a good, amiable dinner with everyone, preferably _including_ Sasuke – because, she thought grimly, otherwise Sasuke would most likely return home to his empty apartment and stay the night by himself. If possible, she wanted him to get closer to the Rookies this time, and vice versa-

"Sasuke!" She hurriedly cut in, before Sasuke could say anything scathing. "Why don't we eat dinner with them?"

Sasuke turned to her as if she had spouted an extra head, while Ino also seemed surprised before she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"What's this, forehead?" She turned her chin up. "Is this your plan to show off to me that you're in the same team as Sasuke-kun or something?"

"No way," Sakura replied. "I just want to eat with all of you guys. Is that so bad?"

Brows furrowing, Ino motioned for her to lean in, harshly whispering, "What are you trying to pull here, Forehead? Whatever you're thinking-"

Pulling away, she instead reached out and grabbed Ino's hand with both of hers, raising it between them. The expression on Ino's face was almost comical, not even trying to snatch her hand back as she stared at Sakura in shock, then her brows creasing as if she was genuinely worried Sakura had gone mental. "The truth is, Ino," Sakura said, feeling the corners of her lip drag downwards. "I really regret cutting my friendship off with you because of someone like Sasuke," beside her, she vaguely aware of Sasuke scowling in confusion, and the male members of Team 10 staring at them. Even so, she felt undeterred. "And I really, really want to be friends with you again."

Ino gaped at her before seemingly regaining her senses, immediately slapping Sakura's hands away. "What- what are you _saying_?" She spluttered. "Have you gone _crazy_?"

"No way," Sakura said again. "So, am I forgiven?"

Ino continued to stare at her. "I- you- n- _no_?" But she sounded uncertain.

"Okay," Sakura shrugged. _Little steps._ "But can we still go to dinner together, right?" Then she reached out towards Sasuke, grabbing his arm and then it was _his_ turn to splutter. "And you'll want to," Sakura said, shaking Sasuke as if advertising him, "Because Sasuke's going to come, too!"

"What? You-" Sasuke growled, and Sakura cut him off, glaring determinedly at him without letting go of his arm. "You are, aren't you, Sasuke? You think it'll be fun, don't you, Sasuke?"

He tried to shake her off, but she wouldn't budge. "Hell if I-"

"Oh, yeah. Guys?" Shikamaru suddenly broke in, and both of them looked at him in confusion. "By the way, I forgot to tell you guys, but on the way here, we actually ran into-"

"Sakura- _chaaaaaaan_! And _Bastaaaaaaard_!"

There was a moment of recognition, Sasuke looking vaguely alarmed before something orange burst out of nowhere, leaping and tackling Sakura to the ground, and as Sakura slipped and fell to the ground with a surprised shout, her fingers tightened around Sasuke, dragging _him_ down, too-

The look in Shikamaru's eyes turned sly as he finished his sentence. "-Naruto," he said. "He'd been looking for you, Sakura, actually. Said he'd join us for dinner if he couldn't find you."

"Th-thanks," Sakura groaned from underneath the blond, "For the early warning…"

"Dobe!" Sasuke snarled, pushing him off of himself and Sakura. "Get off!"

Naruto quickly straightened, helping Sakura up as he laughed sheepishly. "Sorry!" He said, scratching the back of his neck. "But to be fair, Sakura-chan, I hadn't seen you in _ages_! And-"

"Are you a _dog_?" Ino muttered from the side, and for once, Sasuke looked heavily inclined to agree with the blonde.

"And you!" He rounded on Sasuke, ignoring Ino's remark. "You bastard! I can't believe you didn't tell me when you found Sakura-"

"Wait," Sakura broke in. "You guys were looking for me? _Both_ of you?"

Naruto looked at her as if it were obvious. "Well, yeah, Sakura-chan! We had to check if you were fine after that terrorist-burglar-blood guy happened!" Shikamaru frowned at that, and Sakura visibly winced. _Naruto_ knew? Did Sai have _zero_ stealth? Was everyone in the village going to know?

"Shut up, Dobe!" Sasuke growled, pushing at Naruto's head with his palm, and Naruto staggered, grabbing his forehead.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Okay!" Sakura held up her hands. "Can we please just go eat now?"

At that, Ino seemed to de-freeze, along with Shikamaru and Chouji who had been watching their antics like it was a show – and Chouji loudly voiced his approval, his stomach growling. "Can we have meat?"

" _Again_?" Ino said incredulously, while Shikamaru shook his head. "Who's going to pay for _that_?"

Naruto perked up at the mention of food – the sun was setting, after all, and all the restaurants around them had begun to emit delicious smells, and the sound of food cooking- "It _has_ to be ramen, then!"

"Not _ramen_ ," Ino vehemently refused, causing Naruto to frown. "Do you even know how much _salt_ it has? It'll get me fat!"

It was rather chaotic, Sakura thought, with everyone talking loudly to each other about different things – but she had missed this rambunctiousness, the casual dinner one might have with their friends. It hadn't been a luxury during the years of war, after all. But when Sasuke quietly tried to slip himself away, Sakura immediately caught his wrist, raising her eyebrows at him. _Where do you think you're going?_

Sasuke sighed loudly, staying at his spot but still Sakura saw him eyeing the building-tops, no doubt seeking an escape route. Feeling a little mean, Sakura grinned mischievously before turning towards Naruto. "Naruto," she called, "Sasuke said he wants ramen."

Naruto instantly brightened, while Ino pouted at his side, "He does?"

Sakura ignored Sasuke's murderous look, continuing to smile. "Yeah, he totally does!"

"Wow, bastard! I guess once in a blue moon you do say some smart stuff, huh?" Skipping towards them, Naruto wound an arm around Sasuke's shoulder. "If you _really_ wanted ramen, you should have said earlier!"

"I didn't-" Sasuke barked, pushing Naruto away, "I'm not wasting my time-"

"You can't go, bastard!" Naruto said in a hushedly, grabbing his shoulder again, and his expression had turned oddly serious. "If _you_ go, then there'll be only two of Team 7 and three of Team 10!"

" _So_?"

"That means Team 7's lost!" As Sasuke stared at Naruto, his logic failing him, Naruto waved his arms. " _Hello_ , Kakashi-sensei? _Hello_ , team spirit? Also," he whispered conspiratorially. "If you don't come, we're not going to be able to eat ramen!"

"Must say," Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at Sakura as they watched Naruto and Sasuke continue to flail wildly on the streets, Ino shouting at Naruto."I'm surprised to see Sasuke being all dragged around by you guys like that."

Beside him, Chouji nodded. "Yeah. You guys have gotten pretty chummy, huh?"

"Is that what it looks like?" Watching Sasuke bat away at Naruto, Sakura tried contain the laughter that bubbled up inside her. _Maybe_ , she thought, perhaps her team _did_ get along better than she had previously thought. After the Wave mission, _something_ , no matter how minuscule, about Naruto's attitude towards Sasuke seemed to have changed. "Maybe," she grinned. "They still fight _all_ the time though."

"Kinda like Shikamaru and Ino, then," Chouji chuckled, and Shikamaru rolling his eyes as the group finally began to head to Ichiraku, Naruto and Sasuke still bickering at the forefront while they followed from the back. "Y'know," Chouji continued, "You seem kinda different, Sakura."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I do?"

"Yeah," Chouji replied. "Before, you'd never talk to us. You wouldn't have invited us to eat with you guys, either."

"Huh." Sakura looked down at herself as the truth of his words registered. That was true. In the past, she probably would just have left with Sasuke, rubbing it in in Ino's face as they went – no, scratch that. In the past, she wouldn't even have been _walking_ with Sasuke on the market streets for whatever reason. It was like she was living a dream, a strange, perfect what-if. "Nah," she said. At Shikamaru and Chouji's puzzled expressions, she beamed playfully. "I would have invited you guys _eventually_."

* * *

Next morning, waiting at the bridge for Kakashi with Naruto and Sasuke – their break was over, and it was back to missions – she realised that again, she hadn't been able to talk to Sai. She had completely forgotten about it, having dinner with everyone else. But the lack of a note told her that he hadn't dropped by, either – she supposed something must have come up for him, too, or maybe he just wanted to organise his thoughts, after running into Sasuke like that-

Sai had acted fine at the time, even having the gall to joke, but she knew that in his own way, Sai had complicated feelings for Sasuke. She didn't know what _exactly_ , because in the past, he had never deigned to tell her, and frankly speaking, she would have been less inclined to listen- But now that she realised how drastically the future could change for Sai if Sasuke never left Team 7, the issue had been lying heavily on her mind.

She really hoped Sai would come visit today, at least, because yesterday had reminded her how fast time was passing, how quickly the Chūnin Exams was approaching. It had come up in one of their conversations, Ino bringing it up haughtily, _everyone knows it_.

 _Not everyone,_ Shikamaru had said, _just our officials and our dads. Are we even allowed to talk about it?_

Ino had flipped her hair. _Who cares? By tomorrow, everyone's going to know about it, won't they? The Hokage-sama's going to announce it to our senseis._

As unbelievable as it sounded, it had riled up Naruto more than three bowls of ramen could. He had been impossibly excited, jumping on his stool, _ninja from other villages? Promotion?_ _Fighting?_ Somehow, with all his rambunctiousness he had even gotten _Shikamaru_ mildly keen.

And she was pretty sure she hadn't imagined the interested look in _Sasuke's_ eyes, either.

It was clear that the night's rest hadn't calmed Naruto at all, the blond having been fidgety the whole time they had been waiting, Sasuke angrily snapping at him the sixth time he asked Sakura when she thought Kakashi would be arriving.

Sakura sighed. The Chūnin Exams was a daunting prospect. On one hand, it represented the opportunity to change the course of the future for good, perhaps sock Orochimaru in the face if she could do it – but it also was the biggest hurdle she would encounter as of now. If she screwed this one up, there was no telling what would happen. Which was why she really wanted to get Sai's advice as well...

"Hey, hey! Hey, hey, Kakashi-sensei!" At Naruto's cheerful shout, Sakura looked up, the blond jumping wildly as Kakashi landed a few feet away from them, seemingly more than slightly disconcerted at the unusually bright welcome. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Hey!"

Nearing them, Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "You're not angry? What's gotten into you, Naruto?"

Smiling widely, Naruto shook his head. "No time for that, Kakashi-sensei!" His grin turned sly as he nudged the jōnin with his elbow. "Why don't you tell us the good news already, hmm? Hmmm?"

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi's gaze moved towards Sakura and Sasuke in confusion, and while Sasuke only shrugged, relying on Naruto for the theatrics, Sakura simply smiled in response.

"Geez, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto finally pouted. "We know all about it already!" Excitement was plain on his face as he bobbed up and down on the soles of his feet. "The Chūnin Exams!"

" _Oh_ ," Kakashi said, glancing away, and instinctively, Sakura frowned. " _Right_ ," he drawled. "The Chūnin Exams." _What's with that reaction?_

"Don't talk about it as if you forgot about it, Kakashi-sensei! We all know the old man called you up to his office this morning! Shikamaru told us about it already!"

"Man," he said, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. "You kids, going around gossiping so much. It can't be good for your health."

"So?" Naruto prompted, still grinning. It was almost rather cute how exhilarated he seemed, reminding her of his exuberance the night before. "Spill the details, sensei! When is it? Who's coming? What training should we do? Is it gonna be hard? I-"

"Calm down, Dobe," Sasuke cut in. "Let him talk." There was a note of expectation underlying his voice, and Sakura realised that even Sasuke, with his previous lukewarm reaction, must have been anticipating it in his own way – a way of testing his strength against new opponents, there was no way that he wouldn't be enthralled by the opportunity. "So?"

Yet, in face of Naruto's shining eyes and Sasuke's raised eyebrow, Kakashi's expression remained flat. "Sasuke's right," he said, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Naruto. Team 7 isn't going to be entering the Chūnin Exams."

* * *

A/N: And I've broken the word count again! \\(^o^)/ I do so love it when I can't control the lengths of my own chapters!

Well, sarcasm aside, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. There's a lot of perspective-switching, I noticed, so hopefully that wasn't too disconcerting… There were some parts that sounded awkward no matter how many times I rewrote it – and to be honest it's grating on me a little bit T^T

Anyway, thank you always for all the support. Last chapter especially blew me away with all your nice comments! Reviewing really lets me know what I'm doing well, and what you guys like, what's enjoyable and what's not-too-enjoyable. I think feedback is honestly the best way to grow as a writer.

So please leave your comments below, and see you all next time!


	10. Re: Chūnin Exams I

Needless to say, Naruto was not happy.

There were a few seconds of stunned silence – Sakura had _froze_ next to him, and Kakashi's face was pissing him off because it looked as if he had no idea what he just said really _meant_ -

Face contorting, Naruto drew in a breath. " _What?_ "

As if he had expected the response, Kakashi winced, automatically folding into himself at the sheer volume of Naruto's shout. He raised a hand, opening his mouth as if about to say something-

 _An excuse_ , Naruto instinctively thought, and lashed out before he could say a word, "You can't be serious, Kakashi-sensei! You can't! We're definitely entering! It's the _Chūnin Exams_! Shikamaru said tons of strong ninja are coming, and-"

Kakashi shook his head as if trying to pacify the blond. "Now, now, Naruto-"

"We have to go!" Naruto yelled. "Everyone was so excited about it yesterday-" he extended an arm towards Sasuke, whirling towards the boy. "Even the bastard-" Naruto stopped short as he took in Sasuke's expression, the words sticking to his throat as the he took in the brutal deaths of all things good plastered all over the black-haired boy's features. "Look!" Naruto said instead, voice growing louder as he wildly pointed at Sasuke. "Look at his _face_ , sensei! That's not a human's face! You made him like that!"

"Nothing's wrong with my face," Sasuke growled, practically slamming the blond's arm away before rounding on Kakashi himself. "Explain," he barked. "Why aren't you putting us through?"

"Yeah!" Naruto quickly joined at his side, equally adamant. "Explain, Kakashi-sensei! Explain! How can you seriously-"

Kakashi grimaced, looking pained. "Now if you would just let me talk-"

"Then talk," Sasuke said, and his voice had gone from furious disbelief to deadly calm in a span of a second, a cold, unforgiving sort of air about his form. Sasuke's face was still scary but somehow, standing beside a person he knew was equally angry as him made Naruto feel oddly supported, and heaving a deep breath, the blond steeled his face into the stubbornest expression he could manage.

"Now, now," Kakashi said again, looking away from them, and the action pissed the blond off even more, as if he thought they were overreacting, as if the Chūnin Exams were _nothing_ to him- "As you all know," he continued, "you guys have only been genin for a few months now. There are genin who stay genin for years – not to mention it's not like some mission that you guys can just take lightly for fun. It's an exam-"

"We're not taking it lightly," Naruto insisted, "We _know_ it's an exam! That's why you have to let us enter even more!" The frustration was almost pushing him off of his feet, and gritting his teeth, Naruto balled his hands into tight fists at his side.

Kakashi pursed his lips. "You don't understand," he said, and Naruto wanted to paint a banner, reading: _The one that doesn't understand is you! –_ and wind it around his neck. "The Chūnin Exams will attract all sorts of people you guys have never even seen before. It'll be better off for you guys to just watch this year, then participate next year-"

" _Just watch_?" Naruto tried to keep his voice from shaking. Did this old man know what he was _saying-_ An opportunity for him to grow stronger, face powerful ninja, a step closer to being Hokage and he was telling him to _just watch_?

Kakashi sighed. "In other words, you-"

"Don't you _dare_ ," Sasuke finally cut in, instinctively taking step closer to Kakashi, and the jōnin's eyebrows rose. "say that we're not ready."

Surprised, Naruto stopped short, blue eyes widening as his head swivelled towards Sasuke. Those were the words that he was going to-

In a true insubordinate fashion, Sasuke tilted his head, dark eyes bright and cold as he faced Kakashi squarely. "We passed your goddamn test," he spat. "We defeated Haku and Zabuza. Whatever _excuse_ you're trying to feed us-"

"It won't work!" Naruto finished. His heart was thudding, he was still angry at Kakashi, he couldn't believe that the bastard was saying something that actually _made sense_ – and he couldn't believe that even slightly, he was feeling even a little bit _pleased_ at Sasuke's words – but at this moment, there was no doubt in his heart. "We're stronger than you think we are! Whatever ninja we're going to fight at the Chūnin Exams, we can do it!" Brows furrowing, Naruto gritted his teeth. "You've been going on and on and _on_ about teamwork ever since we met you, Kakashi-sensei, and we're saying that we can do it! As a team!"

Kakashi's expression hadn't changed, but Naruto saw the way he had swallowed, as if uncertain, _almost_ torn – and as Sasuke continued to glower, Naruto persisted, "Me, the bastard and Sakura-chan-"

 _And Sakura-chan_. Naruto stuttered short, a bad inkling, a sudden cold sort of dread rising in his chest, winding around the initial determination he had felt at Sasuke's murderous expression and squeezing tight- And he turned, towards Sakura, standing behind the two of them at the rails of the bridge – raking his eyes up to her face, her expression, her-

"Sakura-chan?" Sakura's lips were pursed, green eyes dark, brows drawn. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

* * *

 _Ah_ , Sakura thought, barely keeping the tension crashing down upon her in waves. Naruto and Sasuke stood on either sides in front of her, body half-turned, and staring at her uncertainly. _This must be what it feels to be split from your teammates_.

Sakura wanted to laugh. Not that Team 7 had ever had a totally fantastic relationship in the past, either, and _definitely_ not that she had never been on different sides as Naruto and Sasuke – but never like _this_ , with the two boys' expectant stares on _her_ , wanting _her_ agreement and she, hesitating-

 _No Chūnin Exams._

 _No Ibiki. No Forest of Death. No Gaara. No Neji. What about Naruto and Sasuke?_

 _But-_

 _No Kabuto. No Orochimaru. No Curse Seal. No involvement in the attack on Leaf._

She had been sent into the past to change the future. If the future was changing itself for her-

"I-" Sakura bit her lip. "I don't know," she finally said. "In any case, Kakashi-sensei is our teacher. He only wants what's the best for us."

Her answer was met with silence. Kakashi looked surprised, brows drawing thoughtfully. Resolutely, Sakura kept her head up under Naruto and Sasuke's disbelieving looks, resisting the urge to close her eyes and escape. _This is the best, most foolproof way to protect Sasuke from Orochimaru. To prevent him from getting the Curse Seal._

The image of Sasuke, black tendrils stretching around his body, eyes bloodthirsty and unseeing, the three tomoes stark against his pale shoulder, the air around him heavy and painful filled her mind and feeling her nails dig into her palms, Sakura clenched her jaw. _I don't want to ever see that sight again. But for what price? For what price am I doing this? If Naruto and Sasuke won't grow-_

Sasuke was the first to react. His lips curved downwards, as if disappointed, and Sakura could almost read the words behind his expression, as if saying, _I had expected better from you, but it seems like I was wrong –_ and beside him, Naruto, staying stock-still, before his face, too, slowly crumbled, blue eyes turning desperate. "Sakura-chan!" He protested, but his voice had lost a good deal of his previous confidence and surety than when he had been facing Kakashi. "You can't mean that!"

"I-" _I do._ The words stuck to the top of her mouth, and Sakura felt her face scrunch into a scowl in frustration. _It's not like I want to- not like I-_

It seemed like the only thing that surrounded her ever since she came back in time were choices. And dilemmas about said choices. To stand out or not? To protect Naruto or not? To keep chasing Sasuke or not? To-

 _It's not like I want to stand here, and have you guys looking at me like that._

"I'm sure," Sakura said, slowly pushing the words out of her mouth. _Don't stutter. Don't hesitate. If you do, Naruto will never let you go._ "that Kakashi-sensei must have his own reasons." _For the greater good, Sakura. Be strong._ "We shouldn't cling to him like this, Naruto, Sasuke. We aren't children."

And that, that was a clear flash of anger. Against her will, Sakura flinched as Sasuke's face contorted, something like- something like – she didn't want to go as far as to say _betrayal_ , but something like- "You-"

"Sasuke!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shoulder, cutting him short. "Calm down!"

Sasuke made a sharp sound of frustration through his teeth before swatting the blond's hand away. "Shut up, Dobe."

"Sakura-chan." This time, it was Naruto's turn. "You can't mean that! You _know_ how strong we've become! We faced a nuke-nin and learned how to walk on trees, and- Sure, the bastard and I fought tons, but if you want, I'll really try hard not to!"

Naruto's eyes were wide, pleading and hurt the most because Sakura could tell how _genuine_ he was being, he _really_ wanted to participate, hell, she _knew_ how important these kinds of opportunities were for Naruto and Sasuke – and to think that she wasn't even able to support them, but holding them back instead-

"Naruto," she started, but her voice threatened to shake, and she had to stop for a moment, "I…"

"Alright!" Kakashi cut through the tension, getting their attention with a clap of his hands. "Let's stop there, shall we?"

Sakura didn't know what kind of face she had been making, but she thought it had had to be enough horrible for _Kakashi_ to cut in – and she looked up to see the jōnin gesturing for Naruto and Sasuke to face him instead.

"I didn't mean for you guys to self-destruct like this," he said, and Sasuke turned away with a scoff, making the jōnin's eye crinkle. "Especially when it's over Sakura trusting me. Isn't that right?" Kakashi's gaze moved over to her, and Sakura had to look away, too – something in his tone made her feel his question wasn't as innocent as he had made it out to be. "Well," he said, and when Sakura raised her head back up he was spreading his arms placatingly towards Naruto, who was looking down, brows drawn despondently, and Sasuke, whose mouth was still twisted in vexation. "It seems like we won't be able to train like this. Take the day off. Go home and cool down your little heads. If we'd listened to Hokage-sama, we would have been resting until next week, anyway."

No one responded, and with a nod, Kakashi turned away – at the back of her mind, Sakura couldn't help but think that he only really wanted to avoid the emotional explosions that might follow – when Sasuke spoke, his voice glacial. "I won't accept non-participation. I'm taking the Chūnin Exams, and you won't say a word to stop me."

 _Back to 'I'._ Sakura noted, unable to help the guilt that rose like acid from the thought. _From 'we'. Back to 'I'._

"I..." Naruto followed next, and his voice was trembling, sending Sakura a look that was full of self-reproach and guilt that she wanted to laugh. _Why are you the one who's sorry?_ "I…want to enter, too," he said, and he said it like an admission of sin, like he was afraid of her reaction. _You've always been so hesitant about going against me._

"Sakura-chan might have said what she said…but I believe that deep inside, she wants to enter, too! She's always supported us no matter what…" When he looked up at Kakashi, his expression was resolute. "We won't change our minds, so you're going to have to, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi fixed the two boys with a long look, before raising his head to look at her, and when Sakura remained silent, he disappeared, wordlessly leaving a whirl of leaves behind.

Sakura didn't stay to see the two boys turn anxiously towards her.

* * *

No Chūnin Exams.

No Ibiki's test. No Forest of Death. No Gaara. No Orochimaru. No Neji. No involvement in the attack on Konoha. No growth. No curse seal.

Good. Bad. Good. Bad. Good. Bad.

 _Don't you dare say we aren't ready._

 _And we're saying that we can do it! As a team!_

Sakura scowled, her back teeth grinding as she reappeared on her house roof. _The first time he says 'we,' and I'm forced to be in disagreement. The first time Naruto calls us a team, and I'm forced to let him down._ Sakura closed her eyes in a vain attempt to control her frustration. _I want to go break a tree._

 _Is it really the right choice? Is the Chūnin Exams not too vital of an event to erase like this? Even if Sasuke doesn't get the curse seal here, there's no guarantee that Orochimaru won't try to lay a hand on him again. But letting the Chūnin Exams happen would just be following down the same path as last time – would I really be able to protect Sasuke? I'm still not strong enough – what if things happen the same way as before? After this life, there are no more chances- High risk, high return is just to an extent, there are things just I have to play safe-_

Threading the hem of her shirt between her fingers, her grip tightened.

 _Why am I even forced to make this decision? Why did Kakashi decide to not enter us? Normally, even if he thought we had zero chance of performing well, he would have entered us anyway just for the experience, for growth- So why?_

 _Naruto and Sasuke is the same as they were in the past – so it must have been me, but what? What did I do? My healing abilities? My chakra control? My strength? Was that enough to change his thinking about our team that much?_

Flipping down from the roof onto her windowsill, she let out a slow exhale. _Sai. I need to find-_

But when she dropped down onto the floor of her room, Sai was sitting on her bed, rubbing his wrist and looking up at her with a helpless expression.

* * *

Sasuke lived in a good area, not too close to the central district hubbub that it was perpetually loud, but not too far away that it was a favourable distance from both the training grounds and the market area. It wasn't an area that Naruto frequently went to, but it was an area fancy and notable enough that he had remembered Sasuke's place, remembered him excusing himself from the group with a point towards his apartment on their way back from the Wave mission.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled. "Sasuke! I know you're here! Sasuke-! Open-"

When Sasuke finally threw open the door, his face was heavily creased with annoyance, and Naruto instinctively knew that the black-haired boy wouldn't have shown himself at all if he hadn't continued to shout for a straight ten minutes. "Could you be _any_ louder?" Sasuke hissed.

Folding his hands behind his head, Naruto frowned. "That's 'cause you weren't coming out, man! Sakura-chan disappeared at same time Kakashi-sensei did, and then you jump away, too, like, somewhere, but I wanted to talk to someone-"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you _here_? Go bother Sakura."

The blond felt his face automatically scrunch in annoyance. "I _would_ have, you bastard! I would have! Except-"

 _We shouldn't cling to him like this._

"Except-"

 _We aren't children._

With a sound of frustration, Naruto stopped short, and looked away, biting his lip. "Geez, damn it!"

Watching the blond glower at the ground, Sasuke let out a small sigh. "I don't have the time for this," he said, and started to move away, a hand on his doorknob. He was halfway to closing the door when Naruto quickly extended out a hand, placing it flat on the wooden surface.

"Wait," he said, "Bastard, wait!"

Sasuke looked well and truly pained. " _What_?"

Naruto pursed his lips, before resolutely pushing against the door, opening it just a slightest bit further. "Are you just going to do nothing?"

"What are you talking about?"

"About the Chūnin Exams! About Kakashi-sensei! About Sakura-chan! We can't just not enter!"

Sasuke scowled. "I know that, Dobe." He deadpanned, but he wasn't trying to shut the door in his face anymore.

 _A good sign_ , Naruto thought, and ploughed forward. "Well, then, we have to do something! Something that'll let us enter!" At Sasuke's expression, the blond made a loud noise of exasperation. "Look, it's not like I like standing here chatting with you, either! This is for the sake of- sake of-" Searching for the right word, Naruto threw up his hands. "For the sake of working something out!"

Sasuke look at him flatly for a long time, and Naruto was half-convinced that he would retreat back into his apartment again – when he took a step forward, shutting the door behind him before crossing his arms at the blond. "What are you suggesting?"

"I wouldn't _be_ here if I knew that!" Naruto protested, and Sasuke rolled his eyes at his reply. "Can't we just enter by ourselves?"

"No," Sasuke said. "All genin teams require their teacher's approval."

Groaning, Naruto gripped his head. "Then what can we do? What can we do? What can we-" Eyes widening, Naruto swivelled towards Sasuke expectantly. "Bastard," he said, astonishment lining his voice.

"What?"

"You don't think this might be like a test, or something?" A sort of heaviness inside him lifted at the thought and he continued, beginning to feel his lips quirk into a grin. "Like a teamwork test! Or something." Pushing his fingers through his hair, he raised it in a fashion similar to Kakashi's before lowering his voice to mimic the jōnin. "'Teams that can't even work together to enter a exam has no right to live.' kind of thing!" _And if it's a test_ , the blond thought, _then Sakura-chan will definitely-_

Sasuke scoffed. "Unlikely," he said, and when Naruto pulled a face, continued, "He's already tested our teamwork enough times. It wouldn't make sense for him to do it again, especially after a mission like the last."

"But we don't _know_ that for sure, right? That it's not a test?"

Sasuke shrugged.

Brightening, Naruto waved an arm towards the central district, the way towards Sakura's house. "Then we have to go get Sakura-chan first! If she really hears our view, then she'll definitely agree with us, and then if maybe us three all go together to see Kakashi-sensei, then he'll-!"

At the mention of Sakura's name, Sasuke remained silent, brows furrowing. At his expression, Naruto remembered the flash of fury, the indignation passing over his face at Sakura's disagreement. "Hey, bastard," Naruto began cautiously. "You aren't still mad at Sakura-chan, are you?"

Sasuke didn't say anything, his face still drawn as if in thought.

"You _do_ know," Naruto said, louder this time, "that even if we manage to enter the Chūnin Exams, we'd be nothing without Sakura-chan, right? You _know_ we need her, right?"

When Sasuke still didn't reply, Naruto increased his voice even more. "You can't be _possibly_ saying you don't want to go see Sakura-chan, or something like that, right? Cause we totally do, if we're going, that means _you're_ going _with_ me, and you were _just_ as much of an asshole by lashing out at her, so you can't be saying-"

"Shut up, Dobe!" Sasuke finally growled, swatting Naruto's arm which the blond had been swinging in his face away with an annoyed slap. "And I _didn't_ say any of that, either."

* * *

The hand print that wound itself around Sai's wrist was large, purple and stark against his pale skin.

"So," Sakura said, trying to keep her voice steady. "He confronted you."

"Yes." Sai nodded. "To be more precise, I intentionally led him away."

Sakura let out a shaky breath. "Why?"

"Because I thought he would confront you once you were alone," Sai said simply. "I am, technically, under Root's protection. I knew that he would be at least a few times more cautious around me than you. To put it in basic terms, I am in a much harder position for him to handle than you."

Tugging at her hair, Sakura shook her head. "I don't believe this." _We were at the exact same place. Exact same surroundings. Exact same situation. How could have I let that pass me? How did Sai notice Kakashi, but not me?_ "I don't believe this."

Pursing his lips, Sai stood up from her bed, not reaching out to her but staying close. "Sakura," he said, "I am always hyper-aware to their presences. Ever since I have travelled back in time, my life has been void of colour. Only shadows and blank slates." Running a hand through his hair, Sai looked away. "I could recognise Naruto, Kakashi, or you from even miles away. To me, they are the only presences which have colour."

Sakura closed her eyes, reaching out and grasping Sai's sleeve. She knew that. She understood Sai, she did, and yet- "That's no excuse," she said. "I should have been just as wary as you, if not more." Her grip tightened. "I've been too lax." _Too concerned about the little things._ "I'm sorry, Sai. For making you…" Moving her hand down to his, she raised his wrist between them, her hand beginning to glow green to heal the bruises when Sai stopped her, his other hand pushing her fingers away. "Sai?"

It was his turn to take a deep breath. "I have more to say. It is- It is not only that he knows that you are friends with me."

Sakura frowned. "What do you-"

"A few days ago, when you were at Wave-" Sai stopped short, closing his mouth, then after a moment of seeming physical struggle, opened it again. "Sakura," he said, then, silently pointed at his tongue, the straight black lines imprinted on the red flesh.

 _Danzō's seal._ Understanding the meaning behind his gesture, Sakura nodded. "A mission. I know you can't tell me details about it."

"That I cannot say," he agreed, "I cannot explain what exactly happened, but-" Sai frowned, as if testing the boundaries of the seal. "There seems to be a vision," he finally said, "that people around us appear to be seeing."

"Wait- a vision?"

Sai nodded. "That was the only probable conclusion I could reach."

"And just how do you know-"

"Because I have seen them happen," he said. "I do not know what they are seeing. Nor exactly who or why they are seeing them. Only that it has happened, once to my _partner_ , per say, and…to Kakashi-senpai."

"To _Kakashi_?"

Sai raised his wrist, and the handprint around it. "It seems like it is quite mentally taxing. Almost like being unable to control their bodies. Seeing something beyond. Powerful enough to make someone like Kakashi-senpai lose focus."

"Seeing something bey-"

Sakura stopped short as she remembered reaching out towards Kakashi, fingers glowing green. _Ka-Kakashi-sensei? What's wrong? Are you okay?_

 _Who are you?_

"And," Sai continued solemnly. "He seems to have seen them around you, as well. The first words he uttered after regaining his senses were 'Sakura' and 'You, too.'"

Feeling a distinct sort of coldness set in, as well as understanding, for Kakashi's previous erratic behaviour – Sakura made disbelieving sound. "A vision," she repeated. "And you don't know what exactly he's seeing?"

"No," Sai shook his head, appearing almost regretful. "I don't believe he would have told me in any case if I had asked – but I'd decided to take the opportunity to escape. Sakura, what should I-" When he met her eyes, the expression on his face looked _lost_ , utterly confused and uncertain. It was a such familiar expression that it surprised her, Sakura thought. She had no doubt that if she looked in the mirror when no one was looking, then she would have been making the exact same face. With the responsibility of a new world on their shoulders, and feeling utterly helpless within unplanned changes- Somehow, she thought, his expression made her feel a little calmer, instead. At least Sakura knew that she wasn't alone.

"Sai," Sakura said, placing her hand on his shoulder. Raising it a little more, she ruffled his hair, making the straight black strands stand, and smiled. "It's okay. You did fine. Thanks for getting Kakashi away from me. If it had been me who he'd confronted-" Sakura let out a short huff of laughter, "I'm not sure what I would have done."

"Sakura," Sai frowned, "You don't-"

"I do," she replied. "I do. Honestly, this vision thing is freaking the hell out of me, too. But it explains a lot of other things that happened to me, if that makes sense. Now I know why Kakashi used to stare at me like I'd grown two heads sometimes."

Sai continued to look at her ruefully, and she shook her head, tugging at the ends of his hair before letting go. "Let's think about this logically," she said. "I don't think I've had any other person act like Kakashi around me, but the fact that someone around you did means that this thing isn't just Kakashi-exclusive. We also don't know if it's directly caused by us or we just happened to be near them while it happened. We don't know what exactly they're seeing. We don't know when, how, or who it's happening to. That about sums it up?"

Grimacing, Sai nodded. It was clear what he was thinking – it didn't sound good at all.

"Now what do you think we should do?" Sakura asked, chewing on her lip.

"The best solution," Sai slowly replied, "would be to ask one of the people who we're certain that experienced these…visions."

"Right," Sakura agreed. "I think so, too. But you want to say that's on the unfavourable side as well, right? That it's way too suspicious?"

Sai nodded again.

"Yet again, I concur." At Sai's anxious face, Sakura's lips curved into a slight smile. _Look at you, now. Even knowing how to make faces like those._ "Then maybe it's good timing to tell you that Team 7 won't be entering the Chūnin Exams."

There was a pause, then, a rare display of Sai's eyes widening, pupils blown. "Wh- not- _what_?"

Despite the situation, Sakura burst out laughing. "Th- that's the same face Naruto made!" Trying to calm down, Sakura waved her hands. "Anyway, but yeah. Kakashi told us this morning that he won't be entering us into the exams. Of course, Naruto and Sasuke are _furious_."

Sai's face had gone from a slight frown to being heavily creased. "Is that okay?"

Rubbing agitatedly at her neck, Sakura made a noise of frustration. "Yes! No! I don't know! No Chūnin Exams means so many missed out events, _so_ , _so_ many – but-"

"No Orochimaru," Sai finished. "I understand."

"Right!" _Jesus_ , Sakura thought. It was nicer than she had ever imagined to have someone that actually _understood_ her concerns. And she had never thought she would be saying that about Sai, either. "I was really torn," she admitted. "Even this morning, I'm pretty sure I would have gotten into a fight with Sasuke about it with Naruto dying in the middle if I had stuck around after Kakashi left us with the news…"

"A fight?"

"Because they were _furious_. And I wasn't. At all."

"Ah."

"But now I think I know what I should do," Sakura said. "It was shocking, but what you told me kind of helped me make my mind up." Sakura nodded resolutely. "We need a person that's experienced these so-called visions, right? And I also need to find out why the hell Team 7 was suddenly decided to be out of the Chūnin Exams."

As Sai looked at her in comprehension, Sakura smiled. "What do you think about going to see Kakashi-sensei?"

* * *

Walking towards the central district, Sasuke let out a long breath.

 _Does that mean you two haven't seen Sakura? Just something I thought I'd talk to her about._

 _Kakashi-sensei is our teacher. He only wants what's the best for us._

 _If he doesn't let us all pass – then we can go burn down Kakashi-sensei's apartment._

Chewing over the words, Sasuke scowled. Just since when had she turned so obedient?

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto piped up beside him, and Sasuke slid his eyes towards him. "Maybe if all comes to fail, we can go see Jiji."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Jiji?"

"Oh, right." Sheepishly, Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, the Hokage-sama!"

 _The Hokage-sama? Jiji?_

"I'm sure," Naruto continued, "If we explain our situation, and how much of a _butt_ Kakashi-sensei's being, then he definitely will-"

Tuning out, Sasuke turned back towards the path before him, unconsciously threading his fingers together in thought.

 _An orphan. The Hokage. Jiji._ Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _Orange. A tail._

Beside him, Naruto suddenly let out an undignified squeak, backing away and eyeing him suspiciously.

"What?"

"You just totally looked at me weird," the blond said, pointing a finger accusingly at him. "You just totally did. I got shivers up my spine and stuff. What is it, bastard! Whatever you're thinking, you won't have your way!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I didn't."

"You did! You totally did!"

"I didn't," Sasuke snapped, and raising his head, ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Do you even know where Sakura's house is?"

* * *

If one knew Kakashi well, then they knew that there were only three real viable places that he could be at any given time, what with his raging social life and equally raging personality.

And when Sakura found him inside the one of the two bookstores in the entirety of Konoha which held his favourite orange books, she knew immediately that she had been played.

He was standing at the leftist corner of the bookstore, his silver hair almost invisible unless you knew exactly what you were looking for and where. "Kakashi-sensei." she called out, a fair distance away.

He turned, his eye peering above the bookshelves. He didn't even bother to look surprised, she noted. At this level, all of Kakashi's actions were tests, and nothing more.

"Can you come out? I have something I want to talk to you about."

When Kakashi stayed still, Sakura sighed, tugging at the ends of her hair. Or, she thought, maybe he went in to test her, then he _actually_ found a book that he liked and didn't want to come out.

"I don't really want to go in there, and you probably don't me to, either." Raising an eyebrow, she pointed at the sign that marked the section he was in. _Adults only._

As Kakashi made a gesture of understanding and began to make his way out, Sakura exited the store and leant against the pole next to its entrance, raising her hand to her face in thought. Firstly, his apartment. Would his genin know his apartment? Most likely, no. He had never shown it to them, after all. Even as they returned to the Wave mission, it had been him that had seen where _they_ all lived, but not vice versa, since he had been the one to drop them all off. But not impossible to find out. Kakashi was famous enough, and if they managed to get a hold of a chūnin, or even better, a jōnin that knew him well, with a desperate excuse that he was late for training, _again_ – it would have been easy enough to get a point in the direction.

Two, the jōnin lounge, or the training grounds near it. Sakura didn't deny that it was _possible_ , but she had already been there, and had been met with Gai, and a youthful shake of his head that no, his Eternal Youthful Rival was not there, but it was simply wondrous to finally meet one of his Youthful Genins, and Team 7 and Team 9 must surely have Youthful Spar one day, and were they going to enter the Chūnin Exams? Because his own Youthful Team was, and if they did, they surely would not lose!

Really, it was a stroke of very, very good luck that she had run into Gai, of all people. Very, very good luck, or although she didn't want to go _that_ far – very, very good planning by Kakashi.

Now with the knowledge that their non-participation in the Chūnin Exams wasn't official, yet – a mere genin would be terribly excited, but have exhausted their options. Their only course of way, now, would be to scour the buildings and training grounds of Konoha. A complete waste of time.

But if one knew Kakashi well – then thirdly, a bookstore, and more specifically, the bookstore which sold his books, and even more specifically, particularly secluded within the bookstore due to its age restrictions.

Really, Sakura wanted to laugh.

By coming here in record time, Sakura had just effectively proven she wasn't normal, not perfectly, anyway.

"Sakura."

She looked up. "Kakashi-sensei."

Standing before her, he raised an eyebrow. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well-" Meaningfully glancing at her surroundings, she shrugged. "Can we go somewhere else?" It wasn't particularly crowded, in fact, not at all – but she didn't want to get interrupted or heard if she could help it.

He gave her a long stare, before nodding. "Alright."

Kakashi led her, as she expected, to a training ground, although she noted that it was one that they had never been to, one tucked away amidst other, wider fields with a ring of trees around it. More than to avoid other ninja, she supposed it was to avoid Naruto and Sasuke. With any other ninja, they probably could somehow pass it off as training, but if one of the two boys came upon them, it would be beyond bad, considering the events of the morning. The only other, safer place would have been Kakashi's house itself – Gods knew no one would dare spy on the Copy Ninja's place – but it was a fairly dangerous idea for a jōnin to be seen going into his own house with a female genin, as well.

"Kakashi-sensei," she started when they were a fair distance into the fields. "I came to talk to you about-"

"If you're going to talk," he cut her off, stopping a few steps in front of her and turning around. "Why not bring your friend down, as well?"

Sakura pursed her lips. It wasn't as if she had expected Kakashi to not notice, but she had been worried enough about his reaction. To bring back a Root that he had just confronted… "Sai," she said, moving her eyes up to the trees behind them. "Come down."

In a blur of black, he was instantly next to her, and despite everything Sakura couldn't help but feel a little bit safer, a little bit more reassured at the physical presence beside her. Taking a deep breath, she looked resolutely up at Kakashi. The jōnin hadn't moved, didn't even display any wariness at Sai's appearance, but Sakura knew that at the slightest offensive move, Kakashi would be prepared for a fight. "We aren't here to fight, Kakashi-sensei," she said. "We're here to talk."

"To talk," he repeated. "About?"

"I'm sure that you have…questions. We're here to answer them."

Kakashi's brows furrowed. "Sakura-"

"But you have to know," she quickly added, "We aren't a threat. I promise. We'll explain everything. Please, just trust us and listen to us. Can you…do that?"

Kakashi fixed her with a long look. Then at Sai. She didn't know what kind of expression Sai was making, but she hoped that it was genuine, that Sai wouldn't be too hard on him with his Root defences. _There's no need_ , she had told him. _It's Kakashi. The Kakashi-sensei we know. He's the same person. The very same. He'll listen to us. I promise._

There were a few moments of silence. "No," he finally answered. "I can't." Before Sakura could protest, he continued. "You may be my student, but he," he glanced at Sai, "is not. And you may be my student, but that fact alone does not excuse you, either. I will not – _cannot_ – trust you. _But_ ," he said, and took a long breath, as if he knew he would regret his next words. "but I will listen."

Brightening, Sakura released a soft sigh. Not ideal, but it wasn't as if she had expected any better. Kakashi's reaction was perfectly understandable, after all. "That's fine," she said, smiling. "That's good enough, sensei! More than enough."

* * *

"Oh, dear," Haruno Mebuki said, raising her hand to her cheek, "I'm afraid you _just_ missed her."

Visibly, Naruto deflated, while Sasuke turned his face to the side, scowling. " _How_ just is just?" Naruto asked, "Five minutes? Ten?"

"Around ten minutes, I'd say," she nodded. "She went out rather in a hurry. Do you want to come inside and wait? I just baked some cookies…"

"Cook-" Naruto began, voice rising enthusiastically, but Sasuke shook his head.

"No, thank you," he said, inclining his head. "We'll be going, if she isn't here."

"Oh, really?" Mebuki's mouth curved in disappointment. "That's a shame. I wanted to talk to the two boys that my daughter brings up so much at home."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Sakura-chan talks about us at home?"

"Very much!" Mebuki beamed. "I knew Sasuke-kun would be cute, but I didn't know Naruto-kun would be just as adorable! Honestly, I'd really worried about her once she became a genin – but your sensei was nice enough to visit, and to think her teammates seem this reliable and nice-"

"Kakashi was-" Sasuke stopped. "Kakashi-sensei dropped by?"

"Yes," Mebuki said, then her brows furrowed, as if struck with a sudden concern. "I'm sure you two are terribly busy, but if you have some time, wouldn't you consider just coming in for tea? Sakura used to be so talkative about everything, but recently she seems so occupied – I just want to know how my girl is doing outside." When she tilted her head, Haruno Mebuki's green eyes gleamed just like Sakura's. "Please?"

* * *

"So you're telling me," Kakashi said, "that you've returned from time. Specifically, from a ruinous future."

They were sitting down, now, on logs on the edges of the training grounds, with the two children sitting before him sporting dual serious expressions, and if it wasn't for the frightening number of things that started to make sense in his head, Kakashi felt as though he could burst out laughing.

Sakura nodded. Next to her, the Root, _Sai_ , Kakashi had to tell himself, remained still, but his expression was serious enough.

"And this is the product of Senju Tsunade. The Hokage of…your time."

"The Godaime, to be precise," Sai supplemented.

"And this occurred because-"

"No details," Sakura shook her head. "It's too dangerous. But long story short, the Jūbi is related."

And that was a word Kakashi hadn't heard in a long time. "The Jūbi," he repeated. "And you were chosen to return, because-"

"Because I am Tsunade-shishō's apprentice," Sakura finished.

Kakashi slowly nodded, a part of him completely disbelieving, and the other, frankly, simply _baffled._ Yes, it explained the girl's sudden medical and physical abilities, her chakra exhaustion, her mental maturation in a span of mere _days,_ a friendship with a _Root_ ,but-While Kakashi had to admit that he hadn't had a specific idea to what Sakura was so keen on telling him, but it surely hadn't been something as nonsensical as _this._ It was almost too ridiculous that it was believable in retrospect. Surely an enemy ninja wouldn't come up with a scheme as downright _stupid_. "Do you have proof of this?"

"Nothing…material," Sakura said. "Except what we can tell you will happen, and this." Placing her hand over her chest, Sakura let out a pulse of chakra. With the other hand, she raised the hem of her shirt to expose her stomach, and Kakashi could see them, the black tendrils extending down and across her skin, stark and black and binding like ropes. Beside her, as if in resignation, Sai did the same, the exact twin copy of black stretching over the white of his chest. "A seal," Sakura stated. "This is what enabled us to travel back."

Kakashi frowned. He couldn't recognise the seal, if tell how it worked at all – but if it was the handiwork of a Sannin, then there was fair chance that it was a seal that he had no knowledge of. _Considering_ if what they were saying was the truth.

"If you wish," Sai suggested, "Genjutsu is another viable option. We could show you, directly-"

He waved a hand at them, their clothes falling back over their stomachs. "No," he said. "No genjutsu." _Not yet._ "I don't trust you two to not meddle with my head." When Sakura looked disheartened, Kakashi jerked his head towards Sai. "And him? I doubt he was the part of the… _main_ shinobi army."

Sakura visibly hesitated. She gave the boy beside her a careful look, before closing her mouth when Sai met her eyes, and nodded. There was clearly an unspoken sort of understanding in the action, a consideration for each other that ran deeper than what appeared on the surface. _So they are friends,_ Kakashi thought, the image of the Root, a frustrated sort of light behind dark eyes passing through his mind. _My name is Sai._

"I was…" He started, and it was the first time that he had taken the reins of the conversation. Until now, Sakura had been the one in charge of explanation. His voice was flat, and low, unbefitting of his age, but there were _inflections_ , Kakashi noted, that wasn't _quite_ present in other members of Root. "I am part of the New Team Kakashi."

Kakashi frowned. "New Team Kakashi?"

Sai nodded. "Consisting of Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, team leader Hatake Kakashi temporarily replaced by Yamato of ANBU, and…myself."

In a single moment, a thousand question passed Kakashi's head. _Yamato? ANBU?_ But he focused on the more obvious, pressing matter, a shiver threatening to break out on his skin and hating himself for it, for being even slightly swayed by what may be lies. Lies, that somewhere at the back of his mind, he having a hard time shutting down as lies. He tried to keep his voice calm. "A standard three-man team," Kakashi said. "And Sasuke?"

Simultaneously, both Sakura and Sai averted their gazes. It was plain that they had both expected the question, but had been dreading it at the same time, and a cold feeling flooding his veins, Kakashi suspected the worst. Had he failed again? Even as a teacher? "Did he-"

Firmly, Sakura shook her head. She didn't appear as though she could speak – but the clear refusal somewhat relaxed him. _So alive._ "Then what-"

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sai said, when Sakura couldn't seem to look at him in the eye, if speak at all. Her face had gone white, as if it were something she didn't quite want to spell out. It was strange, considering her previous enthusiasm to explain. Sai released a heavy breath before speaking, and the action continued to catch him off guard, the displays of emotion startling. "Uchiha Sasuke," he said again, "left the Hidden Village of Konoha at the age of twelve, and into the protection of Oto, under the control of one of the Sannin, Orochimaru."

Kakashi froze. A breeze rustled through the clearing, shaking the trees and blowing Sakura's hair into her face. When she peeled them back, her eyes were raw, not red or filled with tears but something born of complete _exhaustion_ and pain and hurt and- _Sound? Orochimaru? Twelve? That's this year. When- How? How-_

His head spinning, Kakashi instinctively raised his hand to his face, pressing at his temples. _Shit – again?_ The ground below him gave way and he was sitting, but not on the logs but on a chair, and his elbows on his knees in a room of white and in front of him, a bed, a white bed with white sheets against white walls and white skin and- _green eyes_.

Mouth moving. _You have to forgive yourself, Kakashi-sensei._

 _Don't call me that. I don't deserve to be called that. Never have._

 _No,_ Kakashi thought, _no, I've seen this, I've seen this before-_ He tried to shake his head, but the image of Sakura before him, skin pasty and lips chapped and green eyes sad and _older_ stayed-

Him extending out a hand, even though Kakashi hadn't tried to move at all – towards Sakura's neck, towards the bandages, then fingers faltering a few inches away and dropping back down at his side. Her eyes growing sadder. _Kakashi-sensei. I'm fine. It's not your fault._

A dull, pulsing pain at his side, and somehow, Kakashi knew that if he had lifted his shirt up, the shirt of this, his _vision_ self – then there would be a yellow-blue-black bruise, the memory of Sasuke, his kick catching him in a soft spot, eyes red and _Kakashi, you can't stop me-_

With a harsh inhale, like taking in a gulp of air after being underwater, Kakashi opened his eyes. Sakura and Sai were right by his sides, a hand on his shoulder, the slant of their mouths worried- "Kakashi-sensei? Kakashi-sensei!"

Swatting their hands off of him, Kakashi shooed them away, and still gripping his head, sat up straight. Sakura watched him with her face creased, green eyes dark with concern, and it was a familiar sight, too familiar – that he had to ask, "Were you ever choked?" Then, realising the absurdity of the question, continued, "And hospitalised? With me there. Did you ever tell me to forgive myself?"

Sakura's expression was of an answer enough.

* * *

Even as they sat at the kitchen table, Sasuke was seriously beginning to regret his life choices. Between going on his way and indulging Sakura's mother – was this really the right decision? Would the information be worth it? In fact, it might have been faster to just go look for Sakura themselves – where had she gone, anyway?

"Hey, bastard," Naruto hissed, nudging his side.

Sasuke scowled. "What?"

"Sheesh," Naruto grimaced, wriggling his fingers in front of his eyes. "Can't you do something about your face? Seriously! It's like, rude!"

"It's alright," Mebuki laughed, from the oven, taking out a tray of cookies. While Naruto clasped his hands together in bliss, at the overwhelming smell of sugar and chocolate, Sasuke had to press down a wave of aversion that passed him. "It can't be comfortable, sitting in front of a friend's mother like this. Here," Moving the sweets onto a wide plate, she placed it before them. "Eat up!"

"Thank you!" Naruto hollered, before prompting beginning to stuff his face. Sasuke didn't touch the cookies, but politely took a sip of his tea instead. "Wow-" The blond exclaimed, voice muffled, "These are great, Mrs Haruno! I never get to eat anything like this at home-"

Mebuki's eyebrows rose. "At home?"

"Mrs Haruno," Sasuke cut in. If Sakura's mother didn't know about their family situations, then that was a direction he didn't quite want the conversation to flow towards. "What did you want to ask us?"

She looked startled, then, hesitant. "Oh! Right, yes." Brows slanting in concern, Mebuki bit her lip, before taking a breath. "How…is Sakura?"

* * *

Kakashi pursed his lips. "So what I'm seeing – they're visions. From the future."

Sakura nodded, although she still looked shaken. "That was- that was after we ran into Sasuke." Covering her face with her hands, she sighed. "I can't believe you remember it."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. _After we ran into Sasuke?_ _So that bandages, the bruises, Sasuke did that to-_

"Actually," Sai quickly cut in, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "That was what we wanted to ask you about. Partially. The visions."

"So you knew? That I was seeing them?"

"No," Sakura shook her head. "I knew you were acting strangely, but I didn't know you were _seeing_ something – until Sai told me something similar happened to him, too."

Kakashi turned to Sai. "And how did you-"

Silently, Sai pointed to his mouth. Resisting the urge to groan, Kakashi nodded. _Right. Danzō's seal. So they must have been during his missions._

"This is an…unexpected side-effect," Sai said. "As people who have come to avoid the future, if possible, we want to stop people from _seeing_ it. We need to know why and how it's happening, and to who it's happening."

"And that's why you came to me," Kakashi said. "Otherwise you two wouldn't have come to confront me like this."

Sakura nodded. She looked tired, Kakashi noted. Despite her young features, the exhaustion that seeped through as unmistakeable, and completely disconcerting. "Can you tell us what you've seen? And when?"

Kakashi paused. Telling them now would mean cooperating. Which meant believing their story. But it did make sense, didn't it? The visions. If they're side-effects of the ripple caused in time… Or he had gone completely crazy and he was imagining all this. He took a deep breath. Cooperating didn't necessarily mean trusting. At least now that he had received an explanation of _some_ kind, the best solution was to test its theory. But if they were lying-

 _If something happens, Kakashi-sensei. Then I want to be the one to protect the people I love. I won't be among those who didn't fight and survived until the end._

"Kakashi-sensei." Sakura's eyes were firm, and open. _Honest_ , he couldn't help but think, and at the same time, wanted to hit himself for it. "Please."

Kakashi held her gaze for a few seconds, then sighed. "First, in the hospital," he started, and Sakura noticeably brightened, lips stretching into a smile. Beside her, Sai's eyes widened slightly, leaning forward. "Same vision as just then. Sitting on the bed, telling me to forgive myself. Second, at Tazuna's house. While healing me." He frowned. "What chakra nature is Sasuke?"

"Lightning," Sakura answered immediately. "But he can do others. Like Fire. You've seen that."

 _Another piece that fits._ At this rate, it seemed difficult to _find_ a contradiction in their story. "I saw Sasuke, using lightning." At that, Sakura closed her eyes, almost seeming resigned. "Third – you." Sai's features grew grim. "Are you good at painting?"

He looked surprised at the question. "Yes," he said, and the word came out almost too enthusiastic, almost eager. It threw him off yet again. _I am part of the New Team Kakashi. Right. He was my student, too, then._ "With ink."

"Yeah," Kakashi said. "I saw you painting. You asked me – 'Why is Naruto so desperate? Sakura-"

Sai's brows furrowed.

"'Sakura, too – He is only a traitor.'" Kakashi and Sai finished at the same time.

"This is scary," Sakura said, looking back and forth between them, hands around her arms. "How is Kakashi-sensei seeing these things?"

Kakashi held up his hands, shaking his head. "I don't have any control."

"But there must be a trigger," Sai said.

"It might be just seeing a similar scene," Kakashi offered. "Like when I saw Sakura in the hospital, my vision was of Sakura in the hospital. When you healed me – your chakra was reflected in your eyes. In my vision, that was replaced by electricity. And the sound of Sasuke's shout."

Sakura frowned. "But we can't do anything about that," she said. "A similar scene. We can't stop that. There are a million things that happened in the past."

There was a minute of silence.

"Well," Kakashi said, "all this has been very enlightening. And unbelievable."

"You can't tell anyone," Sakura quickly said. "You can't. Even you – that was because we had no choice."

"Yes," Kakashi replied. "I feel rather special."

"I'm being serious, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi's expression turned solemn. "So it seems. Don't worry, I won't be telling anyone." But when Sakura opened her mouth, he shook his head. "But this doesn't mean that I trust you. If there is even an _inkling_ that you have been lying to me – this matter is automatically going to go to the Hokage." He gave Sai a similar look. "And you, Root. I doubt your leader would like to know what his underling has been going around doing."

Grimly, Sakura and Sai nodded. Then, as if remembering something, Sakura's eyes widened. "Wait, Kakashi-sensei, one more thing!"

"What?"

Sakura bit her lip. "It's about the Chūnin Exams," she said. Then, after a moment, "Put us through it." When Kakashi looked surprised, she continued, "Please. It was because of me, wasn't it? Because I was untrustworthy, because I was friends with a Root, because you couldn't let me enter in something like the Chūnin Exams, out of your supervision, where many foreign ninja will gather?"

Kakashi frowned. "Spot-on," he said. He would have put Team 7 through – if it wasn't that he had seen Sai next to Sakura the day after. A Root, Danzō. It was beyond question. The security risk was enormous. He had been struggling enough with what to do with Sakura after finding out that she might be linked to Root-

"But you know what's going on, now," Sakura continued, looking up resolutely at him. "It's not fair for Naruto, or Sasuke, to be left out of such an opportunity because of me. You know that. You _know_ that they'll do well in the Chūnin Exams."

"Now, this is strange," Kakashi cocked his head. "You weren't this adamant about it before. In fact, what were your words? 'I'm sure that Kakashi-sensei only wants the best for us'?"

Sakura stuttered short. "Th-that's cause-"

"Because something unfavourable is going to happen in the Chūnin Exams," Sai said instead. "Something we would like to avoid."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"

Sakura looked down. "If we tell you, things might change. In fact, I'm enough scared about the consequences of us telling you what we have already. Maybe…just, I know your powers are limited, but it might help to look over the participants' list for this year. Carefully."

 _The participants' list?_ Leaning back, Kakashi crossed his arms. "If it's something so bad for you to go so far as ask me to do something, isn't it better not to participate at all?"

Sakura remained silent for a long time before answering. "In my past, Naruto and Sasuke grew a lot because of the Chūnin Exams. It's my responsibility to make sure that this world doesn't fall in to the same path as before, but-" Raising her head, her brows drew in determination. "It's also my responsibility to make sure that the Naruto and Sasuke I know…the _good_ inside them, that the Naruto and Sasuke I loved, stays."

 _Ah_ , Kakashi thought. He remembered the sight of her on the ground, shoving the bento into the boy's hands, shamelessly pulling at Sasuke's ear, smiling at Naruto. Her pink hair, falling into a puddle of blood- "How old were you?" Kakashi asked quietly.

"What?"

"I said, how old were you?"

Sakura hesitated. "Do you mean when I travelled back?" Kakashi nodded. "Eighteen," she said. "I'd just passed my eighteenth birthday."

 _Eighteen._ Kakashi exhaled. _Six years from now. Still too young to have the weight of the world on their shoulders._ Standing up, Kakashi nodded. "Alright," he said. "I'll put you through the Chūnin Exams."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, while Sai's eyes similarly widened.

"But I want to see you regularly," he said, then at Sai, "And you, too, even though I know you have other... _occupations_. When you can. Just because I know what you are, doesn't mean that you'll get free reign. If you want my cooperation, you'll also have to do some work to convince me."

A grin splitting her face, Sakura stood, grabbing Kakashi's hands and raising them up to his chest. Startled, Kakashi tried to pull back – but her grip tightened on his fingers. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Sakura-" Kakashi leaned away, obviously uncomfortable at the physical show of affection. "I get it, so-"

"It won't be hard to trust me at all!" Sakura continued, voice bright, and for the first time, her expression was vivid, one that finally fit her age. "I was – _am_ – your favourite student, after all!"

"Okay, okay!" Prying her fingers away from his hands, Kakashi saw Sai, staring at their exchange from a few steps away, break out into a smile.

* * *

"Man," Naruto said, rubbing his stomach, sighing happily. "That was nice, wasn't it? The sweets? Wasn't Sakura-chan's mum so pretty, though? She looked just like Sakura-chan! Except with blond hair! Do you think the pink hair comes from her _dad_? Man, I really want to see! Maybe we can ask Sakura-chan to introduce us, next time-"

"Dobe," Sasuke cut in.

"Can you _stop_ calling me that?" Naruto scowled. "What?"

"Shut up."

"Why, you-"

"You don't need to move your mouth to find Sakura."

"Dude, you need to watch yourself, man! Even with Sakura's mum, you kept just asking weird questions – I bet she thinks you're obsessed with her now or someth- wait. Bastard?" Naruto frowned, tapping at Sasuke's shoulder.

"What?"

Naruto squinted his eyes. "Is that Sakura?"

A fair distance ahead, walking towards them – distinct pink hair, a red qipao shirt, and next to her, a taller, slim black-haired boy- Sasuke's brows furrowed. _That's-_

 _Nice to meet you, Sasuke-kun._

"Who's that next to him?" Naruto wondered loudly, before a sort of realisation seemed to hit him, and his eyes widened. "Wait. It-It's him! Him!"

Turning, Sasuke frowned at the blond. "You know him?" _Was this guy around Sakura that much?_

"Yeah!" Naruto said, then proceeded to also frown. "No? I…I think? I think I know him?"

"Which is it?" Sasuke snapped.

"I mean, I _think_ I've seen him around but then if you ask me _where_ then I don't think I can tell you but then that pale face and hair-" Making a sound of frustration, he pointed at the pair. "Let's just go!" He said, "Better than staring at them like a stalker from a few steps away." He began to dart forth, waving his hands in the air. "Sakura-chan!"

"Wait, Dobe, watch where you-"

Before Sasuke could finish his sentence, Naruto crashed into a figure turning a corner, falling violently to the ground. "Ow, damn it!"

Naruto's shout was soon followed by a low, mocking voice. "Watch where you're going, shrimp. Man, do Konoha shinobi have no coordination?"

" _Hah_? Shrimp? You what-" Naruto scrambled to his feet, then stopped short as he looked up into the face of the ninja that he had run into – tall, with painted streaks across his cheeks, an unfamiliar headband- "What-"

"Sand," Sasuke recognised, nearing the pair. He narrowed his eyes.

The ninja turned towards Sasuke. "Tell your friend to learn some foot-eye coordination, eh? Or maybe the problem's more fundamental, like his _brain_." He chuckled to himself, raising a thumb and rubbing it against his face. The paint didn't smudge.

"Kankurō." A deeper, gravellier voice followed, and instantly, the Sand ninja froze – face going rigid, fingers twitching at his sides. The air changed, and Sasuke had the instinctive feeling of having swallowed sand, a prickling, tense sensation in the insides of his throat. Scowling, he watched as a redhead appeared from the corner, a large gourd strapped to his back, and beside him, a tall blonde, carrying a similarly oversized fan. Nearing them, he gave the Suna shinobi – _Kankurō_ – a look, and he immediately shuffled to the side, avoiding eye contact. "Back off."

* * *

A/N:

Yes. I know what everyone's thinking! It's been ages! I'm sorry T^T

I feel like all of my excuses are academics-related, but it's true, and it's happened yet again. So I apologise.

Some of you have asked if I have encountered a writer's block. The answer is no. But to be fair, I am a rather slow writer to begin with, that being it sometimes takes hours of me staring at the screen to finish writing one scene. I hope you guys aren't too mad about the Chūnin Exams, by the way! I didn't mean for it to, but it seems like it ended up like a huge bait D: But I just couldn't skim over an arc as big and meaningful as that, after all.

I have been reading each and every one of your reviews, and as always, I appreciate the support. I love hearing all your comments – it helps me know if I am going in the right direction, so please tell what you guys liked or disliked, or feel free to even give me suggestions.

Please leave a review below, and see you all next time!


	11. Re: Chūnin Exams II

The walk back from the training grounds to the living districts of Konoha was long, deserted and with Kakashi having excused himself to attend a meeting with the Hokage, Sai remained silent as Sakura let out a heavy exhale, rubbing a hand over her face. Her palpable relief at Kakashi's word of cooperation had settled to reveal a more potent, immediate sort of weariness, and Sai watched with no little concern as the shadows descended, the concerns and what-to-dos for the future slowly lowering Sakura's shoulders.

It was difficult, he supposed, to remain airy and blithe in a situation such as this, no matter how well certain things worked out. Diffidence and doubt threaded their every action, and while returning in time had restored a certain vitality to Sakura's eyes that had been absent in the past, there was also no denying of the fear and worry that Sai could sense hanging over her like a thick, overhead canopy, growing larger and larger with each passing day.

At the very least, Sai knew that Sakura hadn't used to look at him with _guilt_ in her eyes. Guilt, which rose up then was stamped down each time she laid her eyes on him. One which, if he was honest, terrified him to no end.

 _What are you thinking about?_ Sai wanted to ask, _Have you thought about what I've said? Have you thought about me?_ But it was selfish, he knew, inquiring about something like that now, when there were bigger issues at hand. The first priority was to prevent Sasuke's defection, he knew that much. He _knew_ that.

So instead, Sai asked, "Are you worried?" his voice quiet as they turned a corner in the direction towards Sakura's house.

Beside him, Sakura let out a breath of laughter. It wasn't bitter, just amused. "Like you can't believe. One moment, I feel like I know the most logical and correct course of action. Then, after I actually do it, it feels like the worst decision I've ever made. And that happens about forty times a day." Throwing up her hands, Sakura made a sound of frustration.

Sai frowned. "Do you regret talking to Kakashi?"

Sakura shook her head. "No. Both you and I know we had to do that. It's true that I was hoping we could handle everything by ourselves, but as soon as the visions came into picture, that wasn't a choice anymore."

He nodded in agreement. In fact, Sai thought, it rather was lucky that it was Kakashi, and not anyone else that they had to confide into. The best of the worst, he surmised.

"I just hope," Sakura said, brows furrowing. "that telling Kakashi about Sasuke wasn't a mistake."

"Sasuke?" Then, "You mean his defection."

"Yeah," she said. "I trust Kakashi to act no differently than before, but I'm still worried, I guess. Anyone would be shaken after hearing that their student is going to betray the village, after all. Maybe we should have kept that to ourselves."

"Then we wouldn't have been able to explain my presence in the team," Sai pointed out, and realised a second too late that he had perhaps said it much too quickly, and eagerly.

Thankfully, Sakura didn't seem to notice, only nodding thoughtfully. "You're right. It's just-" Her face scrunched, looking both confused and aggravated. "I can't predict what Kakashi's going to do. Maybe Kakashi of 7 years later, sure, but not Kakashi of _now_. I don't know _this_ him well enough. I was planning to tell him everything, but I sort of chickened out near the end. Couldn't tell him Orochimaru is going to personally infiltrate the Chūnin Exams, and all that."

"That can be deduced," Sai said. "We gave him enough pieces."

"And we all know how clever Kakashi is," Sakura conceded. With a grimace, she stretched out her arms behind her, looking rather feline, if it wasn't for the slumped posture she soon returned to. "I just hope he doesn't go to Hokage-sama about it. The mention of Orochimaru is almost certainly going to ring alarm bells across Konoha if the Sandaime hears about it. If that happens, it's not a far stretch to say that the entire structure of the exams could change, or even be cancelled."

Moving his gaze to the pavement below, Sai remembered Sakura's frustrated expression, rubbing agitatedly at her neck. _No Chūnin Exams – is that okay? Yes! No! I don't know!_

Sai didn't know the exact source of Sakura's internal conflict. He hadn't been there with her in the Chūnin Exams last time, wouldn't be there with her this time – he told himself he wasn't frustrated at the thought – but if he had to guess-

"Sakura." Though he wasn't looking at her, Sai could sense her eyes slide towards him. "I think you chose well," he said.

"Chose well?" Sakura echoed.

"In deciding to ask Kakashi to participate in the Chūnin Exams."

There was a long, heavy pause. Sakura's eyes had moved to look down at her feet, and now it was Sai who was left to stare at her profile. When Sakura spoke again, her voice had lost its cheeriness though it remained steady. "That's nothing to be praised about," she said. "I just did that because I'm a coward."

"A coward?" Sai repeated blankly, then, his eyes narrowing, "Sakura, you don't-"

"Sure, I do," she said, and there was a sort of resignation to her voice. " _Yeah_ , there is all that about wanting to preserve Naruto's and Sasuke's growth – and it _is_ true that I'd be jeopardising a lot of future developments if Team 7 stayed out of the exams. Like Neji, and Gaara, to name a few. Can't lose our future Kazekage now, can we?" Sakura's lips curved, though it seemed to now hold more bitterness than mirth. "But the truth is that I'm not ready. Too scared to make big changes in the timeline like that."

"Wait, Sakura-"

Sakura shook her head. "It's because I like the stability. I like knowing exactly what's going to happen in the future. I _like_ knowing the future because it gives me an advantage. Advantage against my foes, against my friends – reassures me and makes me feel powerful. But as soon as I make a turn, that's going to disappear. I won't know what's coming, I won't know what's changed, what's going to remain the same. Then all I'll be is just plain old Sakura, you know? _Just_ Sakura thrown into a foreign world again. I don't know if I'd be able to handle that." Sakura let out a slow chuckle, and now it was threaded with full-blown bitterness, something of deep, long-running cynicism and self-deprecation.

Sai pursed his lips. It wasn't as though he hadn't been privy to Sakura's… _inferiority_ complex, to put it in light terms. He supposed it couldn't be helped – any shinobi wedged between the Kyūbi vessel, the last Uchiha, and the Great Copy Ninja was bound to develop _some_ sort of doubts about their own abilities, let alone one with no notable bloodline or specialties. Sai knew that Sakura was plenty strong, the apprentice of the _Godaime_ , for God's sakes, with enough strength in her little finger to rupture the ground and enough medical prowess to literally bring a man from the dead – but even then, contrasted to Naruto or Sasuke, she was- she had been-

Truthfully, he had thought her rather pathetic, so swayed by her little emotions, this so-called _love_ for the Uchiha, who clearly had no qualms about wrapping his fingers around her neck, even going as far to use Naruto's own love for her _against_ the blond – only to drown in the guilt afterwards. He wouldn't deny that he had never thought about grabbing her by her shoulders, to shake the tears off of her, to shout – _Just let Naruto go. Just step back. Don't you see? Stop trying to intervene. The conflict between Naruto and the Uchiha is, is-_

He had been foolish, Sai thought. Or perhaps his love for them had simply run that much shallower back then. He hadn't quite understood anything, hadn't understood that Sakura's thoughts were just as deep, if not deeper than his own.

Running a hand through his hair, Sai sighed. It must have been out of character for him, because Sakura's head snapped up, looking at him with surprised eyes.

"Sai?" She said hesitantly.

"Sakura," he said just as seriously, "you can't be _both_ ugly and stupid. That would truly be a tragedy."

That wiped the concern right off of her face. "What-"

"What do you propose we do if Team 7 does not participate in the exams? Sit calmly with Naruto and Sasuke at home, drinking tea while you watch Leaf be invaded from your windows?"

"I-" Sakura looked taken aback. There was a part at the back of his mind that drily wondered if she was more astonished at his use of sarcasm rather than his logic. He had read up on its effectiveness, of course, but it was the first time it had come so naturally. It filled him with a wry sort of satisfaction. "Sai, I-"

"The entire purpose of returning in time is so that we are privy to the future. It's only natural we should keep the knowledge as close and as accurate as possible." He gave her a pointed look. "In fact, I think _non-participation_ is more of a coward's way out. By deciding to participate, you've essentially set yourself on a path with more obstacles."

Sakura continued to stare at him in disbelief. Sai tried to maintain his stern expression, certain that his words were correct, or at least, that _was_ what he believed – when Sakura began to laugh, loud, gleeful laughter that had her eyes creasing into half-moons. Sai frowned, wondering just what was so funny – when she raised her hand and slapped his hip, hard. The hit wasn't meant to be painful, he knew, but Sai was still doubling over clutching at his waist – and Sakura said tersely, "Stop it," trying to school her expression into a severe one though her lips kept stretching into a smile. "Stop it," she said again. "I hate it when my emotionally constipated friend is more sensitive and _right_ than me. _Seriously_ , Sai," she huffed. "What kind of books have you been reading?"

He could hear the gratitude, unspoken but clear underneath her words – and Sai felt his own lips curve into a smile, an odd sort of satisfaction bubbling up inside him though Sakura soon sobered. "That still doesn't change the fact that Naruto and Sasuke is going to _kill_ me, though."

Sai tilted his head. "For what?"

"For changing my mind like flipping an egg fry on a pan? For speaking to Kakashi without them? Maybe not Naruto, sure, but Sasuke's going to have it out for me." Making a deeply troubled expression, Sakura wrung her hands. "Not to mention we have to plan our actions for the Chūnin Exams. We have our work cut out for us," she said grimly, "me, and my loyal assistant, you."

But they still walked towards her home with renewed vigour to their steps, and while Sai was glad for their little heart-to-heart, he couldn't help but wish that maybe, in a different lifetime, in a different timeline, _somewhere_ – he would have been able to face Naruto and Sasuke _with_ Sakura, to apologise, to calm Naruto down and pacify Sasuke, and to go out for ramen altogether, as a team.

* * *

"G-Gaara!" Kankurō had moved to the side, his back almost flat against the wall of the alleyway. "I didn't- when did you-"

"Picking fights, are we?" The redhead's voice was deep, scratchy, and there was a clear authority about him as he lightly cocked his head. Sasuke watched warily as Kankurō rubbed anxiously at his paint, clearly disconcerted. The redhead – another Suna shinobi, that much was obvious – was neither physically imposing nor very old – in fact, seemed to be around their own age while Kankurō and the blonde girl appeared some years _older_ – and yet the power he held over the two was undeniable, and almost unreasonabl _e_. _Like addressing a master_ , Sasuke thought, and tensed, noting with brief relief that Naruto had dusted himself off, and was standing on two feet again, despite looking utterly lost.

Kankurō was hostile, but had given off no more than the typical vibe of a foreign thug looking to pick fights. This other boy – Gaara, on the other hand – had brought with him a certain tautness, a _lethality_ of sorts, that had Sasuke want to thread a kunai through his fingers in reassurance. Instead, he took particular consideration to control his expression, assessing the exchange between the Sand ninja with detached, but careful eyes.

"You're an embarrassment to our village," Gaara continued, and each word was met with a flinch, as if they physically pierced Kankurō's flesh. "Have you forgotten the reason why we are here?"

"N-No, Gaara, of course not," Kankurō shook his head, eyes fixed on the pavement. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Not bothering to hear the rest of his apology, Gaara turned, smoothly cutting Kankurō off as he instead faced Naruto and Sasuke. "I apologise," he said, his tone exceedingly polite, but the underlying darkness yet remained in his voice. Perhaps it was present regardless of the recipient of his words, Sasuke considered guardedly. "We did not mean to cause trouble."

"No need," Sasuke replied, his voice equally cool. He tilted his head towards Naruto. "He wasn't watching where he was going."

"Wait, what?" Naruto seemed to break out of his stupor, head snapping to Sasuke, then to Gaara. "Wait! Why are _you_ apologising? No, I mean, why are _you_ accepting the apology? It was me-"

"But I would still have you assert your purpose," Sasuke effortlessly overrode the blond's voice, leaving him to sputter. "Why are you in Konoha? Foreign ninja cannot enter other villages without explicit permission."

"That would be because we _have_ explicit permission," the blonde girl cut in. She took out a small slip of paper from her pouch, and briefly waved it in his direction. "We're here for the Chūnin Exams."

Beside him, Sasuke heard Naruto gasp audibly. His eyes narrowed. _So these three are participants._ Granted, he didn't care much for Kankurō and the blonde, but the redhead – inside him, he felt the bubble of irritation grow. _Sakura…_

As Sasuke made a non-committal sound of acknowledgement, the girl raised her eyebrows. "Aren't you guys genin as well? Are _you_ participating?"

Sasuke tried to keep himself from scowling. To say no, here, was – demeaning, annoying, angering, a thousand different adjectives – and as he saw Naruto open his mouth determinedly, Sasuke instinctively knew the blond was going to say something he would regret. "We-"

"We are."

Something inside him effectively stopped in motion, then. Sasuke turned, spinning on his feet as he looked up at the fence behind him – and he saw Sakura, the red and pink and black of her smoothly dropping down from the air _somewhere_ – seating herself on the edge, her legs dangling carefree. Sasuke spent a moment suspended in disbelief. _When had she-?_ _Since when-?_ He hadn't even _sensed_ her – and he searched her face for a few moments before realising he was staring, and reeling back into impassivity. Beside him, Naruto was also gaping blatantly, mouth open, blue eyes wide, but there was also something _else_ in his expression, Sasuke thought, a slow dawning of realisation, and as it gradually overtook the shock on the blond's face, comprehension struck Sasuke like a bolt of lightning, one that had his gaze snapping back to Sakura in incredulity-

Sakura wasn't looking at them, however, but at the trio of Suna shinobi, a light smile on her face and her chin balanced leisurely on her palm. "Sand, is it?" She considered, then jumped down, in between Naruto and Sasuke. The blond was evidently speechless, while Sasuke himself couldn't seemed to find the words. What could he say? Rather, his eyes narrowed as the implications set in. Either Sakura, or Kakashi had changed their mind, and had gone to inform the other about it. He pushed down the surge of irritation that rose at the thought. Yet again, something had gone down behind his back while he lay shrouded in the dark. And _this_ was how Sakura chose to let them know?

There was undoubtedly something strange about Sakura, he knew that much, had known that since much, much before – disregard her shinobi prowess, it extended further than merely that – this black-haired so-called _friend_ , a bloodied man falling through her window at night, Kakashi visiting her home, searching for her, her constantly changing behaviour-

And her mother. _How…is Sakura?_

Call him paranoid, but it wasn't as though the Dobe had no dubious aspects in _his_ life, either.

Clenching his jaw, Sasuke turned back towards the Suna shinobi. On another day he thought he might have enjoyed the looks of surprise decorating Kankurō and the girl's faces, taken aback at the appearance of a mere small, pink-haired girl – but presently he felt nothing but bitter annoyance rising up in his throat as Sakura approached the redhead. Gaara was the only one to have remained completely calm throughout the encounter, and the fact that _he_ might have noticed Sakura's presence while Sasuke remained oblivious only served to further grate on his nerves.

Gaara tilted his head in question. "And you are?"

"Their teammate," Sakura said, gave him another quick smile. She didn't give him her name, Sasuke noted. "And yes, we are participating in the Chūnin Exams. Looks like we may yet meet again."

Gaara inclined his head, then it was clear that the time for pleasantries were over. He turned without a word, prompting Kankurō and the girl to automatically fall into step behind him, and then he was walking away, as silently he had appeared.

Yet when they were a few steps away, Sakura called out. "I do hope the good relations between our villages continue to flourish."

And the redhead paused, turning his head only enough to fix them with a sole, green eye for a long look before continuing on his way.

* * *

Genma was a wisecracker who spent more time in a pub than at his own apartment, but he was diligent, and had a heavy enough mouth to satisfy Kakashi. As soon as the Sandaime had dismissed them, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai and himself, after collecting their teams' forms of participation – whether the Hokage was satisfied or dissatisfied that he had chosen to enter Team 7 into the exams, Kakashi didn't know, but that choice had left his hands a long time ago – Kakashi had headed straight downstairs, to the temporary proctors' office for the Chūnin Exams.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Genma said, waving a hand airily. "We still need to record the names of our own genin, so it's still going to take a day or two – but I can bring it over afterwards if you need it."

"Thanks, Genma," Kakashi nodded. "I owe you one."

Genma shook his head. "You would've been proctor instead of me, anyway, if you weren't teaching that infamous Team 7." He scoffed. "How's that going, anyway?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Going."

Bringing down his fist down onto his desk with a _thump_ , Genma let out a groan. "Never thought I'd be saying this, Kakashi," he said, "But I feel like I wouldn't even mind teaching a couple brats myself if it meant I didn't have to be proctor, sitting at a desk like this, slaving away for weeks. Why aren't _more_ jōnin not teaching? Then I'd have more help."

Leaning against the wall, Kakashi crossed his arms, cocking his head. "Don't you have others helping? Other proctors?"

" _Sure_ ," he said, "Morino Ibiki, and Mitarashi Anko." Genma gave him a pained look. " _Tell_ me I could round them up."

Kakashi felt his mouth twitch in amusement. "Sounds rough."

"Don't even _talk_ about it."

"Well," Kakashi said, pushing himself off, straightening and heading for the door. "I'll leave you to it, then."

But when Kakashi placed his hand on the doorknob, Genma called out, "Hey, Kakashi." When he turned, the senbon-user fixed him with an unusually somber look. "I'm giving you the list, even though technically I'm not allowed to because truthfully, there won't be too much information in there, just names and photos – but mainly because you're _Kakashi,_ and I trust you, yeah? To see it for security reasons, as you said and all." He shook his head. "Don't show it to your kids, man. Seriously."

Kakashi steadily returned his stare before crinkling his eyes. "My students won't need it."

Then he closed the door to Genma's office behind him, and Kakashi could hear the holler of sharp laughter, followed by a noise of a whip hitting the floor. "You're _whipped_ already, Kakashi! By some brats! Man – who would've thought?"

Shaking his head, Kakashi made his way to the bottom floor. But when he reached it, Kurenai was waiting for him at entrance of the Hokage Tower, black hair alight in the sunlight as she leant beside a window. "Kakashi," she said, and gestured him over with a pale, slim hand.

"Kurenai," he greeted. "Do you need something?"

She frowned, then, crossing her arms. Kakashi watched her tap her immaculately painted fingernails against her forearms for a few moments before she spoke up again. "Can we talk for a second?"

 _Not really_ , was what Kakashi truthfully wanted to say – he had enough things on his mind, had simply planned to return to his apartment and mull over Sakura's words – take some time to find what matched up, what didn't – not to mention he had a feeling that whatever two cents Kurenai seemed to want to add wouldn't be particularly pleasant nor useful. But one look at the woman's face was enough to tell him refusal would be futile, and resisting the urge to sigh, Kakashi nodded, his feet already moving in the direction of the jōnin's lounge. "Lead the way."

* * *

Sakura knew they would be mad.

It was entirely understandable. In fact, if _she_ had been in their positions, she would have been _furious_ , and rightly so. Just a few hours ago she had been berating them for being _children_ , then to simply turn up without a single apology and tell foreign ninja complete _opposite_ of what she had just said – _oh, yeah. It's fine, I talked to Kakashi-sensei. Just had a change of mind, you see, haha!_

Of _course_ she that wasn't going to end well. So Sakura tried to look both of them in the eye as she sat before them, Naruto appearing confused more than anything else – bless his soul – while Sasuke positively radiated _darkness_ by his side.

They had relocated to the bridge – it wasn't so much secluded as the training grounds or spacious, but it was a comfortable and familiar enough place for Team 7, and somehow, Sakura had gotten the feeling that leading the boys away any further would have snapped Sasuke's patience.

"So," Naruto cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Uh, does this mean I can talk now?"

Sakura nodded. She had cut off every attempt of Naruto's to pipe up on the way, not quite wanting to talk until she could safely keep both eyes fixed on Sasuke. "Yeah, you can. Sorry."

"So," Naruto said again, and he was leaning forward on his elbows, the hints of a smile threatening the line of his mouth. " _So_ , Sakura-chan," he drawled, his voice almost conspiratorial. "Does this mean you've changed your mind? We're _entering_? You know – the _thing_? From this morning?"

Sakura lightly huffed in laughter. While she had worried, she had also suspected Naruto wouldn't react with anger as much as _excitement_ that she had changed her mind – and it appeared that she was right. "Yeah," Sakura said. "We are."

" _Seriously_?" Naruto's eyes widened, and Sakura watched as his face split into the biggest grin she had seen in a while, jumping up to his feet and tackling her into a hug. "Man, Sakura-chan! I _knew_ you would come around eventually! I did! You're the best, you know that?"

His arms were tight around her neck, and even as she eagerly reciprocated the hug, she coughed out, "Wait, N-Naruto. C-can't breathe."

"Oh! Right." Letting go of Sakura with a wide smile, he sat back down, turning towards Sasuke. "Did you hear that, bastard? I _told_ you she would-" His voice fell as he took in Sasuke's expression, however, brows furrowing. "Uh, Sasuke?" When he didn't reply, Naruto waved a hand over his face. "Hello," the blond called, and when there still was no response, he frowned. "Hey, aren't you happy?"

But Sasuke wasn't looking at the blond at all, but directly at her. "What exactly," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Happened between you and Kakashi?"

"Oh, yeah!" Naruto piped up curiously. "I want to know that, too. How did you change his mind? No, scratch that – why did _you_ change your mind?"

Sakura pursed her lips, choosing her words carefully. It wasn't as if she hadn't expected the question. "I just…thought about it a lot after you guys left. The reason I was so hesitant isn't because I didn't have trust in you guys, or anything like that. I just honestly didn't know if we were ready. After all, we've only gone on one real C-rank mission, and we've never faced off properly against other genin. Who knows what could happen?" For a good measure, she also threw in a self-deprecating chuckle. "And you guys know what a teacher's pet I was even in the Academy. Maybe I was just scared about going against Kakashi-sensei's word."

It wasn't completely a lie, she supposed, there was at least a sliver of truth in her words, only that it was simply in a different context. Still, Sakura couldn't help the slight pang of guilt as Naruto's face creased in sympathy. "Sakura-chan…"

"But at the same time, you guys were so _mad_ ," she continued, "and then I started wondering if I'd made the wrong decision. In the end, I figured everything would be all right if I had you guys by my side. So I went to see Kakashi, convinced him, and here we are."

"Here we are, indeed," Sasuke repeated, and his voice was so _flat_ that Naruto whipped his head towards him, frowning.

"Dude," he said, "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Sasuke echoed, and gave a sardonic scoff. "What's wrong with _you_ , Sakura? Just this morning, you were singing right along with Kakashi. And look at us now. What did you offer him?" Though his voice was soft, there was a clear challenge to his words. "Or did he offer _you_ something?"

Sakura reeled. What was Sasuke saying? What was he _thinking_? That she had been agreeing with Kakashi because he had offered her some sort of _deal_? Until now, she had thought the source of his anger originated from the fact that she had been so rude to him in the morning, that she had forgone any discussion with them afterwards in going to see Kakashi, but-

" _Dude_ ," Naruto said again, his eyebrows rising high. "What _is_ wrong with you? Seriously?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Something's been more than strange lately. Even yesterday, Kakashi was looking for you. You'd never been so obedient to Kakashi before that."

"That was-" Sakura stopped short, finding herself at a loss for words. Sasuke was wrong, had gotten something _fundamentally_ incorrect, but Sakura didn't know where to start, how to explain, without truly _explaining_ \- "Sasuke, that's not- That's not anything! He just wanted to check up on my injuries. It isn't related," she said firmly.

Sasuke made a disbelieving noise, and Sakura resisted the urge to bury her face into her hands. "Sasuke-"

"Dude!" Naruto exclaimed for the third time. "Can we backpedal for a sec? Not everything has to be such a big deal!" The blond stretched his arms out. "We were mad because Sakura-chan didn't want to enter, yeah! But now she's changed her mind! We're entering! What's still got your underwear twisted?"

"That's not the point," Sasuke hissed.

"Then what _is_ the point?"

"Naruto-" Sakura tried to intervene, but Naruto shook his head adamantly.

"Just wait a sec, Sakura-chan," he said firmly, still facing Sasuke.

Watching the blond spread out his hands between them, Sakura belatedly realised that Naruto oddly looked like the middle person, trying to mediate the two. Up until now Sakura always thought that _she_ was the mediator of the team, keeping the peace between Naruto and Sasuke, but the truth seemed to be that there were also just as many thorns, if not more, between Sasuke and _herself_ , than she had originally thought. Gods knew Naruto had never stood between the two of them like _this_ before.

"Look, bastard, I know we're not great off, mainly 'cause you're such a dick, but I seriously thought me, you, and Sakura-chan made a good team back at Waves. And I _know_ for a fact that you did, too. So what's the issue? Why are you so eager to break things up again?"

" _Me_?" Sasuke scoffed again. "Why am _I_ eager? Why don't you ask _her_? I'm not the one who's been going around people's backs."

"People's backs?" Naruto echoed, and a tone of outrage had begun to enter his voice. "What are you talking about? So Sakura-chan changed her mind, felt bad, went to Kakashi-sensei, convinced him _for_ us, and came to see us about the good news. What about that is _so_ betraying for you?"

Sasuke fixed him with a long, grating look before turning away. "You don't understand," he finally snapped.

"Yeah, I don't! Because you aren't giving me anything _to_ understand!" Naruto shouted.

"Guys!" Sakura cut in. "Just-" She raised a hand, rubbing at her temple. "Just stop for a moment!"

Sasuke had turned away, a hand threaded through his dark hair. His eyes were hidden behind his wrist, but Sakura could see his lips, and the white teeth roughly pressing down on the pink flesh. Naruto gave a loud sigh, then turned his face up to the sky, his hands on his hips.

If she could detach herself, she thought, it could look almost comical, two young boys sitting at the bridge looking like they were having the argument of their lives, full of exasperation and pent-up anger. But it was every bit as real, Sakura knew that much. Somewhere along the line of the argument, the reason behind the fight had long left the fact Sakura had changed her mind about the Chūnin Exams, or the fact that Sasuke was irritable, or the fact that Naruto didn't understand.

"Man," Naruto groaned, and his hands had dropped back down to his sides. "I don't even know why we're fighting in the first place."

Sakura pursed her lips. _Yeah, I don't! Because you aren't giving me anything to understand!_ She let out a long, slow exhale, and turned towards Sasuke. "Sasuke, I-"

But she was already talking to his back, her words fading away as Sasuke clearly decided his time with them was up, stood, and turned, beginning to leap away.

"What-" Naruto was immediately on his feet. "Hey, wait! Bastard! Where do you think you're going?"

But Sakura was faster, and before Naruto could chase after Sasuke she was in front of the blond, grabbing him by the shoulders and stopping him in his steps. "Wait, Naruto," she said quietly, and he was looking at her with confused eyes and a frustrated frown, and Sakura shook her head, sliding her hands down his arms to hold his fingers instead.

* * *

It turned out that what _Kurenai_ had wanted to say was all the reasons why entering their teams into the Chūnin Exams was a bad idea. Kakashi rubbed at his temples, resisting the urge to close his eyes. He had zoned out at about the third reason, or so.

"Kakashi?" A hint of irritation had begun to enter Kurenai's voice at the – what, Kakashi mused, fifty-second reason? "Kakashi. You aren't listening to me, are you?

Kakashi sighed. "No, Kurenai, I'm not." Her brows slanted in disapproval, but before she could protest, he quickly raised a hand to silence her. "Why are you talking to me about this? Asuma and Gai also voluntarily put their team down for participation." He gave her a pointed look. "And so did you, if I recall."

The genjutsu master shook her head. "You know they only signed up because you did," she said. "They wouldn't have otherwise. Maybe Gai, but Asuma knows his team is young. And I couldn't leave out my team when the entire cohort save them would be entering."

"I put my students down," Kakashi said, enunciating each word clearly, "because I know they're ready. What Gai or Asuma does with their team isn't any of my business, or responsibility." At Kurenai's expression, he slightly softened his voice. "It would do you good to trust them to have some professionalism."

Kurenai lifted her hand, and bit down anxiously on a sleek, blood-red fingernail. "It's not them that I don't trust," she finally said. It was clear that the admission wasn't one she particularly wanted to make. This, Kakashi thought, was probably what she had really wanted to talk about. "It's Gai's student."

Kakashi could feel his eyebrows rise high to his hairline. "Gai's student?" He repeated. Mentally, he ran through the catalogue of the faces he knew, searching for the members of Team 9. Vaguely, he recalled Gai introducing them to him last year. If he was right, there had been a boy that seemed like a carbon copy of Gai that Kakashi had wondered if Gai had borne a son without telling him, a dark-haired girl, and a Hyūga. He frowned. "What about them?"

Kurenai had returned to chewing on her nail. It wasn't easy to confide in another about one's own students, Kakashi supposed. Even when Kakashi had been tasked with Naruto and Sasuke he hadn't told anyone else, only that others had heard about it from elsewhere and approached him with concerned expressions. And now that Sakura turned out to be the biggest bomb of all, Kakashi's desire for any _discussion_ about his students had gone from zero to negative infinity. Absently, he wondered why it had to be him out of all people that Kurenai was talking to – surely there were better suited people.

This time, Kurenai took a long pause before speaking. "Do you know the Hyūga boy in his team?" Kurenai asked. When Kakashi shook his head, she sent a fleeting glance towards the door of the jōnin lounge before continuing. "He's a member of the Hyūga branch family," she said. "Hyūga Neji."

* * *

Finding Sasuke was easy, a thought that gave Sakura hope, because she knew that when Sasuke didn't want to be found, he would usually not be found at all.

"Sasuke," she said, and dropped down next to him at the training grounds from the trees above, their very first one where Kakashi had conducted the bell test. He was sitting in the shade, practising his aim with a shuriken, a circular target laying a few ten metres away, and the bullseye already filled to the brim with metal stars. Sasuke didn't seem surprised, simply sliding his eyes towards her, then back towards the target. It reminded her of the time when she had sought him out in Waves, and Sakura hoped it wouldn't end in an argument as it had last time. "I think we need to talk."

The last shuriken between his fingers left his hand and hit the target with a distinct _thunk_. Bullseye again. "Then talk," Sasuke said tersely, propping his elbow on his leg and leaning his chin into the palm of his hand. A piece of dark hair fell into his eyes; they didn't look particularly kind, but he wasn't being downright hostile, either. It gave her courage to trudge on.

"I don't know what you're thinking," she finally said. "But I'd like to know. And if there are misunderstandings, I don't want them to come between us, either."

Sasuke didn't respond, only looked at her silently, and she continued, willing herself to stay composed under his gaze. To her surprise, she found that it wasn't much too hard. While it had been only less than two months since she had travelled in time, it was a testament to how natural talking to Sasuke had grown. Sakura thought the realisation might have brought a smile to her face if it wasn't for the situation. "I've said this before, but I didn't mean to offend anyone with what I did today. I'm sorry for being so fickle, I know, but you have to trust me when I say I was only thinking about the team."

"The team." Sasuke repeated, and his voice had taken a slight edge again.

Sakura frowned. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Sasuke didn't respond. There was an air of frustration about him, as if there was something on his back that he wanted to shake off, but couldn't _quite-_

"You're angry about something else," Sakura slowly realised. "This isn't _really_ about the Chūnin Exams, is it?"

"You tell me." Straightening, he turned away from her, stretching his legs out before him. "I don't know what to believe with the lies you've told me."

Sakura reeled. "Wait. Lies?" She echoed. Instinctively, her mind latched onto time-travel, and she quickly dismissed it, threading through her memory for something else. _Lies?_ Nothing related to Naruto, she knew. She had told him very little details about her family. Sai? No – as resourceful as Sasuke was, Root was beyond him. In fact, if it had gotten Sasuke as riled up as he was, Sakura thought it had to be related to her abilities – her chakra control? _Something I'd read in the books…started training._

Sakura stuttered short as a scene morphed in mind, solidifying then disappearing like smoke. The feeling of holding Sasuke's ankle in her hand. _I learned from my aunt._

Sighing, she raised her hands to her temples. "You've met my mother," she said.

Sasuke looked both surprised, and mildly disgusted at the apparent speed Sakura had arrived at her conclusion. "I did."

It was almost surreal, Sakura thought, how things seemed to be progressing on the exact same path as it did for Kakashi. With the silver-haired jōnin, it had ended with Sakura confiding in him the truth. But Sasuke was the one single person that she absolutely could _not_ tell the truth to, no matter what happened. That much was a given. Still, she couldn't shake off the irony, the dread that knocked the very breath out of her lungs as Sasuke continued to stare critically at her.

Her voice had gone down to a whisper when she finally said, "When?"

"Today," he said curtly. "The Dobe and I'd gone to convince you," he gave her a pointed look. "Your mother invited us inside."

Undoubtedly Sasuke would have used the opportunities to ask her mother some questions of his own, Sakura thought, though she dared not to voice it out loud. Most likely about her chakra control, or medical abilities. And no doubt her mother would have reacted with confusion and complete ignorance yet again – not that she could blame her. Sakura pursed her lips. She was going to have to talk to her mother sometime soon.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I was going to," he said. "I'm not an idiot. It's only that you've brought the fight to me, flipping yourself over morning and day."

Sakura gave another heavy exhale, running a hand through her hair. Now a surprising number of things had begun to make sense. "So that's why you just walked away. So I could find you. You thought I wouldn't want Naruto to hear this."

Sasuke shrugged.

Despite the situation, Sakura couldn't help the soporific feeling that rose inside her. The fact that Sasuke had bothered to show that much consideration just showed how far they had come – before, he wouldn't even have been this calm, most likely could have come barging onto her with pure poison and accusations on his tongue. Yet now he was patiently waiting, surely displeased, but still waiting for an explanation.

And not for the first time, Sakura wished she didn't have to lie so much. To Kakashi, to Naruto, to Sasuke – there were just going to be some things that she couldn't give the truth for no matter what circumstances they were under. The best she could, Sakura thought, that best that they deserved and the best that she could give – would be the version _closest_ to, but not quite, the truth. "Yeah," she admitted. "I lied. I have no such aunt."

Sasuke didn't look too surprised, but did appear slightly taken aback at her almost casual admission. But before he could say anything, she continued, "But it's also true that I didn't gain this power in some magical, supernatural way. I trained for it, you have to know that."

"I _do_ know that," he snapped, and Sakura gave a small smile. "The question is from who. And when."

For a few moments, Sakura hesitated. Then, she asked, "Do you want me to be honest?"

"Are you kidding me?"

Sakura laughed. "If you want me to be honest, my honest answer is this: I can't tell you." Sasuke instantly scowled, and knowing what he was thinking, Sakura shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, but that's just how it is. But a part of that reason is because that this person isn't in this world anymore."

The crease between his brows deepened. The implication that Sasuke probably received from her words – _death_ – wasn't entirely correct, but it wasn't _incorrect_ , either, she supposed. Senju Tsunade, more precisely, _the_ Senju Tsunade that she had trained with, was most definitely, and clearly, not present in this world anymore. "But that's not the point I want to make," she continued. "I know it must have been weird for me – a total brainless _fangirl_ , with no notable physical abilities or ninja prowess to suddenly turn up one day shattering planks and healing cuts. Of course you're suspicious. But I have to ask you something, too," she said, fixing him with a long stare. To his credit, Sasuke didn't look away, only steadily matched her gaze with equally serious eyes. "Do you really think you knew me well enough to judge me like that?"

And that, Sakura thought, was clear surprise flitting across his face. It was followed by a frown, a dip of the corners of his lips.

"You never paid any attention to me. You never talked to me. You never _looked_ at me unless you were trying to push me out of your way, or something like that. I'm not trying to crucify you – it must have been seriously annoying. But all I'm saying is that you also didn't know what I was doing behind the scenes. How hard I was training, what I was studying. So maybe my practical exams at the Academy weren't stellar. That still doesn't mean I was just twiddling my thumbs, daydreaming about you every free second of my day."

Which was, Sakura inwardly thought, _exactly_ what she _had_ been doing, but for explanation's sake, Sasuke didn't need to know that. After all, she knew that the time she was talking about wasn't her Academy years at all, but the years _after_ Sasuke's departure, the years of her training under the Godaime, the years where every night she only dreamed of strength, so that she could reach him, so that she could bring him back- The years Sasuke of neither last time or this time would know _anything_ about, but remained inside her like a wound freshly pouring blood; one which both strengthened her beyond measure, and weakened her beyond measure.

A sharp sound of a kunai brought her out of her reverie. Sasuke had taken one out from his pouch, spinning it through his fingers. She had seen him do it a number of times before – a nervous tick of sorts, she supposed. Another thing she hadn't known about Sasuke before. After a few turns of his fingers, Sasuke grabbed its handle and jabbed its point into the soil. "You're right," Sasuke finally said, and startled, Sakura looked up from his kunai to his face. "I didn't know. I didn't care. That much is right." Sakura wondered if she could dare deduce the unspoken words after that – _But now I do –_ or was that too much of a fantasy? Lean brows drawn, he seemed almost frustrated as he ran a hand through his hair. Briefly, Sakura remembered Sasuke's words, brusque and reluctant, but genuine. _You train almost manically. What I'm trying to say is that I know that chakra control is something that takes time to harness and polish._ "And I'm assuming this unspoken person is also one who taught you your superhuman strength, too?" He asked.

Sakura nodded.

Then there was silence, a more companionable one rather than the heavy, pregnant sort, but it was one where it was clear Sasuke was chewing over her words. Sakura still felt the need to break it, however, her voice taking a more teasing tone, she asked, "So that was what got your so-called underwear twisted? The _mysterious_ source of your talented teammate's power?"

Sasuke gave her a _look_ , then, something that in words probably would have been something like: _Not you, too, Sakura._ "What about Kakashi?" he then suddenly asked, and Sakura blinked.

"What about Kakashi-sensei?"

He frowned. "There aren't- You guys didn't-"

"Oh," Sakura said, "No, no, no. We weren't planning anything, there was no private tutelage involved, if that's what you're thinking." She gave a small laughter. "This is embarrassing, but the truth is Kakashi-sensei was just as suspicious as you about me. My chakra control and all that. That's why he just wanted to talk to me for a bit."

Sasuke didn't respond, presumably satisfied, or maybe, embarrassed, Sakura ventured – that he had been so overworked over something rather insignificant – though, the truth was, both Sasuke and Kakashi had been scarily observant, and even more scarily accurate in their suspicions and _she_ was the one trying to weasel her way out – and silence descended again. But this time it was clear that Sasuke had something else he wanted to ask, the way his fingers returned to spinning his kunai, his sandal tapping against the ground once, then twice. Only _this_ time, Sakura was eighty percent sure what it was that he wanted to ask.

"Another thing," she said, and Sasuke slid his eyes up to hers again. "The so-called bloody guy that Naruto saw going through my window." His expression immediately darkened, and Sakura smiled. _I thought so._ "You've seen him before. My friend."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in thought, then in realisation. "Sai," he said.

Sakura nodded, feeling very pleased, for whatever reason, that he had remembered Sai's name. She thought Sai would probably be, too. "Yeah," she said. "Since he's a chūnin, sometimes he comes back from missions in a bad shape and needs my help to get to the hospital. It was just one of those days."

"That's risky," Sasuke scowled. "There's no guarantee you'll be present."

"Yeah," Sakura sighed. "I lectured him enough on that. It's something we should fix, I suppose. Anyway," she smiled. "So are we in the clear? No more questions? No more doubts? We're participating in the Chūnin Exams soon, I need the Sasuke that best likes Sakura and is willing to give anything for teamwork by my side."

Sasuke gave her a long look – one which Sakura steadily returned, but found with no little frustration that this time, she couldn't quite read into it. With his expressions, Sasuke seemed to be like an on-and-off _switch_ – one that at some moments, she could clearly peer into, and one that at some moments, was utterly unfamiliar. But perhaps that was simply a Sasuke and Sakura thing. Perhaps, she thought, Naruto saw something different in Sasuke in those moments. Involuntarily, her eyes flicked up to the trees above then, then back at Sasuke.

Finally, he gave a sigh. "Fine," he said. "Just bring the Dobe down, then, already." He pressed at his eyes with his palms. "He's been hanging off the branch like a sloth. I don't want him to fall on me."

True to his word, as soon as Sasuke stopped speaking a blur of orange leapt out from the trees, landing loudly before them. "I wouldn't fall on you!" Naruto objected, before his eyes widened dramatically. "Wait a sec. You- you knew?" He exclaimed, brows furrowed. "That I was there? Since-since when?"

"Since the beginning," Sasuke said. "Just in case you don't know," he added dryly, "Orange doesn't quite blend in with the leaves."

"That's not true," Sakura reassured him as Naruto turned towards her for support. "You hid well, it's just- sometimes, you might want to keep your, ah, _reactions_ to yourself. Sometimes I couldn't tell if I was having a conversation with just Sasuke or you _and_ Sasuke."

"Man," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "I can't tell if you guys are trying to insult me or not."

"I suppose even eavesdropping requires some sort of intellect," Sasuke concluded.

"Hey!" Naruto protested. "Also, it wasn't eavesdropping! It's not eavesdropping if both parties know about it!" He said, proudly tapping the side of his head.

"Ingenious," Sasuke replied. "Congratulations." Then, he turned towards Sakura, raising an eyebrow. "What was the point of having him hide in the trees?"

Naruto huffed loudly. "Well, that's obviously because of _you_ , bastard! Just in case you felt _intimidated_ in my presence, or something, and would refuse to talk. I was being _nice_."

"I knew you'd be able to tell," Sakura said to Sasuke, and Naruto sputtered in protest. "But I wasn't sure. If you'd want to talk, that is." _In Naruto's presence_ went unspoken, but it was clear that Sasuke received her meaning. _So you could excuse yourself again._ And from the way that Naruto stiffened, she was sure that he had, too. She resisted the urge to reach out to him. Before, she wouldn't have dared to even _imply_ this sort of meaning, but- But it was something that had to be addressed, Sakura knew. The Chūnin Exams would be the biggest hurdle they would – _she_ would – face as of far and she wanted to get as many factors for potential conflict out of the way first. God knew there would be enough of that once the exams started, and she began to hover over Sasuke like an overprotective bird. But that was an issue for later.

From Sasuke's expression, it was clear that he knew Naruto's underlying insecurities, too. Sasuke was aloof, but not insensitive, and he was impassive, but not unkind. Not knowing and not acting were two different things, after all. Sasuke had excused himself because he worried Sakura wouldn't want to talk in Naruto's presence. Sakura had told Naruto to watch them in the trees because she worried Sasuke wouldn't want to talk in Naruto's presence. And Naruto would be left feeling unwanted from both. _Not_ an unexpected feeling, Sakura thought. Anyone in in such a position would feel the same way, and especially one who had already been suffering, she knew – from feeling inadequate to both. It was a feeling, Sakura thought with no little bitterness, that _she_ had used to feel.

"I left because Naruto is denser than a brick," Sasuke finally said, and Naruto's gaze snapped up towards him, clearly unsure whether he should be hurt or offended. "If he hadn't realised what was strange about you, then it wasn't my place to tell him."

It wasn't an admission of how much he _liked_ Naruto, per say, but it was something, Sakura supposed. Something that implied it wasn't aimed to leave the blond out. "And Sasuke is right, Naruto," she said, placing a hand on the blond's arm, and he looked at her questioningly. "The fact that I lied wasn't something I would exactly want advertised, after all. But I wanted you to know the truth, so I asked you to tag along to see Sasuke – but you know how difficult he can be," Sasuke rolled his eyes at her words, "We needed to take precautions."

Naruto stared at her hand for a few more seconds, expression thoughtful. They waited some time more, and just when Sakura was beginning to get concerned, the blond spoke up. "Honestly, Sakura-chan? I still don't get it."

Sakura startled. "Huh?"

"Like, so what's the big _deal_? You know?"

Beside her, Sasuke also looked confused at Naruto's words, dark brows furrowing.

"Like," Naruto said again, "Yeah, Sakura-chan's strong – but she was always so smart! Even in the Academy, she was _smarter_ than you, Sasuke-bastard."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but didn't say anything. Sakura similarly stayed quiet, both surprised and flattered but unsure where he was going.

"So when she rocked up breaking the ground and all that jazz, I _knew_ that was Sakura-chan! Maybe she practised! Or maybe she did- I dunno- super training! Whatever! It was a good thing! Because Sakura-chan used to be smart, and pretty, but now she's smart, and pretty, _and_ strong!" He scowled at Sasuke, who seemed stupefied. At least, as stupefied as Sasuke could look. "I thought you'd be happy about that! I know I am! Why did the stick in your butt get _longer_ instead?"

Sasuke made a noise of frustration. "That isn't the point-"

"That's _exactly_ the point!" Naruto said. "So what if she lied? Maybe she has some secrets! Maybe she has something she doesn't want to talk about! So what? It's not like _everyone's_ oh-so-open and you, bastard, sure as hell isn't. You're the most closed, small-minded, annoying, stick-in-the-mud, stick-in-the-ass person I've _ever_ met!"

Sasuke looked ready to stab the blond. "Are you done yet?"

"No!" Naruto continued, completely ignoring Sasuke's animosity. "Come on, Sasuke! Don't you get what I'm talking about? You don't have to be so suspicious of Sakura!"

"I'm not," Sasuke snapped.

"Uh-huh," Naruto said. "Yeah."

Watching the exchange unfold, Sakura sighed. She was grateful for Naruto's support, that was a given, but this was where their difference showed, she thought. The conflict between those who trusted very hardly, and those who saw the good in everyone. They both sought power, but for different reasons, and it showed in their behaviour. Sasuke questioned, and challenged. Naruto admired, and endeavoured to catch up. "Look," Sakura said, raising her palms up. "It's no-one's fault. How Sasuke acted is completely understandable, and how you think, Naruto, makes me very happy." She shot a quick grin at the blond, which he eagerly reciprocated. "I just wanted to get some _things_ out of the way. That's all. Some things I knew were standing between us."

She gave Sasuke a meaningful look, then, and after a second, he dropped his hostile stance, rubbing at his temples with a sigh instead. "You don't get it," he said to Naruto, but his voice sounded more tired than anything else.

It seemed to take the blond off-guard, Sakura thought, the quietness of his voice. "I-" Naruto started, then shook his head. "No, I take it back. I didn't mean that," he said. "Sorry, bastard. I know, somewhere in there, beyond the five-foot pole up your ass, you can sometimes be a good guy. It's just-" He took a moment before restarting again. "Look, even me, I always felt like Sakura-chan was choosing you over me. You two always had _something_ , some issue, something that didn't involve me."

At Naruto's admission, Sakura looked down at her feet, unsure of what to say. It might feel like a step back, Sakura thought, a step back in their friendship, fighting again like this after what they had achieved in Waves, the fuzzy feeling of camaraderie, the trust. But the truth was that it really wasn't. It was simply that Waves had cleared the air, the awkward, the detached first interactions of every freshly-formed team, simply removing a barrier to reveal deeper issues.

Indeed, somewhere along the line of the argument, the reason behind the fight had long left the fact Sakura had changed her mind about the Chūnin Exams, or the fact that Sasuke was irritable, or the fact that Naruto didn't understand.

Rather, it had everything to do with the fact that Sakura had suddenly grown strong with a side of herself that involved bloody men and mature smiles, the fact that Sasuke, who had sworn off attachment, was starting to get attached and was struggling with everything else that came with it, the fact that Naruto wondered what sort of relationship Sakura and Sasuke really shared, and what his place and value in the team looked like. The things that they _thought_ , but never talked about.

Not that any of them had found the answers to those questions today, but Sakura liked to think that perhaps, they had gotten a little closer.

"But today," Naruto continued, and there was a slight smile itching on his lips that took both Sasuke and Sakura off guard. "I realised something." His smile growing into a full-out, gleeful grin, he pointed at Sasuke. "It's because you're a _baby_!" The blond looked exceedingly proud of himself, and Sasuke, for the second time, stupefied. "Of _course_ Sakura-chan was so worried about our wittle Sasuke-chan. You have so many things that tick you off! Man, I guess I was actually the mature person here, right, between the two of us. Yeah." Without warning, Naruto reached out and hooked an arm around Sasuke's neck. "It's okay, Sasuke. It's okay. I'll just understand. As the _adult_ here."

"You-" Sasuke snarled, regaining his bearings and roughly grabbing at Naruto's face with his hand as the blond let out an undignified _eruggh,_ trying to get him away. "You just-"

But even at the violence Sakura began laughing, and the two boys stopped and stared as she grabbed at her stomach, laughing with no regrets. "I know I don't really have the right to say this," she started when the laughter died down, "as the person that caused all this mess, but…" Sakura bit her lip, hesitating, but when she looked up, Naruto gestured her along encouragingly, and Sasuke had raised an eyebrow, seemingly even having forgotten that Naruto's arm was still around his shoulders, and Sakura grinned. "I think we make a pretty good team. When we have doubts, we can just talk about it. So let's forget about this and go and beat the hell out of everyone in the Chūnin Exams, okay?"

Realistically, Sakura knew there was a distance, a distance of a gone 7 years, a distance of what-had-beens and what-you-used-to-be-likes that they would never be able to overcome. It would inevitably drive a wedge between herself and the two boys, whether she liked it or not, and perhaps it had already started to. But that was her burden, and hers alone- And it was up to her to make the best out of it, so that one day, she might look back on herself, Naruto, and Sasuke – and love them more than she had the Naruto and Sasuke in her past.

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed, raising his fist, while Sasuke simply glanced away, as if saying – _That's a given_. "Okay," the blond said, still smiling. "If we're done, can we go get ramen now? I'm _reeeeally_ hungry."

* * *

Thankfully, Kakashi didn't act any differently than before, that Sakura was almost surprised instead by the _lack_ of anything that had changed about the jōnin's behaviour. _One of his another good points_ , Sakura thought in satisfaction, raising happy eyes towards him as Kakashi rubbed at his neck. The past few days had been spent with well-deserved, relentless training, as if Kakashi was compensating for their days of rest – he hadn't even bothered to seriously explain why he had changed _his_ mind about them – only telling them that he had signed their forms for participation with a slight crinkle of his eye.

Not that Naruto and Sasuke looked devoid of complaints – in fact, it seemed as though they wanted to tear into him with questions about just _why_ he had been so reluctant – but Sakura had fed them some excuses about how he had been worried for them after meeting Zabuza, that they were still genin, and so on, that they remained quiet, lest Kakashi change his mind again.

"Well," Kakashi drawled, when they had all assembled for another day of training. "Now that we have only a couple days until the exams, I thought something special might be in order."

Naruto bobbed on the soles of his feet, eyes gleaming. "Something special? Are you teaching us something new, Kakashi-sensei?"

"No," he shook his head. "Something more useful at this stage of preparation." Turning his head towards the trees, he called out, "Gai."

 _Wait. Gai?_ Naruto looked confused, the team expectantly facing the foliage, when vaguely, Sakura remembered running into Gai at the jōnin lounge, smile blinding and leaning down to match her eye-level. _It is simply wondrous to meet the student of my Youthful Rival! We must have a spar one day, between Team 7 and 9 – a true clash of youths – the level of youthful energy created will truly be astounding!_

So this was what _that_ change amounted to, Sakura thought drily, running a hand through her hair. _A training session with Gai's team._

 _Wait, Gai's team?_ Involuntarily, her eyes snapped towards Sasuke. And Sasuke, sensing her movement, slid his gaze to her, silently raising a questioning eyebrow. _That means-_

"Kakashi!" Gai's voice bellowed from the other side of the clearing, and the man appeared through the trees in his tight, smooth green spandex, smile full of blazing white teeth. Behind him followed three students – and Sakura didn't need to crane her neck like Naruto or frown as Sasuke did to know exactly who was accompanying the man. As they neared, Lee saluted energetically, and Tenten gave a slight smile, which Sakura reciprocated. But her attention was fixed on the remaining boy, with straight, regal posture and cold, judgemental eyes. And it was clear that she wasn't the only one. Sasuke had tensed, assessing the Neji with equally impassive eyes while Naruto – bless his soul yet again – was grinning widely, sparing each of them plentiful smiles.

"Hey," the blond whispered, nudging her side with his elbow. "It's another genin team! This is going to be fun!"

 _Riveting_ , Sakura thought, warily watching Sasuke and Neji's silent stare-off as the Team 9 slowly approached, Naruto standing obliviously at her side. So the confrontation would come a little faster, she thought, trying to calm herself. That was okay. No problem.

She only had to make sure it worked out in her favour.

* * *

Sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor of his apartment, Sai blew out a long breath. Seeing Danzō wasn't a pleasant experience – even before, he had felt an absolute sense of duty at best, but now that he knew what kind of monster that Danzō was – he had to consciously repress the upsurge of revulsion each time he faced the man, schooling his expression into nothing but a blank sort of obedience. Sai wouldn't deny the need for Root – after all, in any society there had to be people to carry out the filthy work, and he also wouldn't deny that perhaps, at a time, Danzō really had had Konoha's best interests in heart – but the knowledge that beneath his bandages, the eyes of numerous dead Uchihas spun in his flesh, and that _he_ had been the one to pose Itachi an ultimatum between genocide and his younger brother's life- It disgusted him enough to want to throw up his insides after each meeting.

His lips thinning, Sai took out a scroll from his pouch, a new mission again – he would leave the day before Sakura commenced the Chūnin Exams, and return before it's conclusion if he was lucky. He hadn't opened it yet; unlike the Hokage, Danzō never explained the circumstances behind each mission, nor the need for it. Root was expected to only silently accept, execute, and return. Perhaps this time Sai was to carry out a genocide himself. Perhaps he was going to create another Itachi, or a Sasuke, torn to shreds and drowning under the weight of their family's deaths. Quietly, Sai wondered how many orphans he would leave in his wake this mission.

Only if he could accompany Sakura to the exams, he thought. Only if he could go see Naruto once, and eat ramen together with him before he left. Only if Kakashi could stop looking at him with so much suspicion.

But he knew it was no time for that. Setting the scroll aside – and shaking his head – Sai reached out towards a drawer tucked into the corner of his room, and took out another scroll, a thinner, more translucent one – paper meant to be hidden between slips of clothing.

Smoothly undoing the bindings, he spread it across his apartment floor – the white expanse of it nearly spanning the length of his entire room – before threading his paintbrush through his fingers, and touching its inked bristles to the paper.

 _Can you do it, Sai?_

 _Anything you ask, Sakura._

For now, all he could do was stand, and help from the sidelines.

* * *

A/N:

Well. Long time no see, everyone! It's been…a long time. Three months, in fact.

First of all, I apologise to anyone that might have been waiting for my updates. It's a ridiculously long time, I have to admit, and even I can't believe it took this long to post an update. But the past few months have been beyond hectic for me, with a lot of things going on – that I couldn't really find the time to set aside for writing.

But I'm starting to regain my normal routine, now, and I think I'll be able to put a lot more time into writing. At least, I promise I'll try my best to not take so long again. Really, really!

Especially since from next chapter, the Chūnin Exams will be finally starting (finally! Some action!), and I have a lot of things in store, so please look forward to it! C: That's why this chapter was mostly prelude, and I hope it didn't bore you guys too much – but I also think that the scenes were needed.

Again, I'm sorry I just blanked out for so long. I hope I can still hear your opinions and thoughts – so please leave a review below! I'll be reading each and every one of them.

See you all next time!


	12. Re: Chūnin Exams III

_I- I'm sorry, Tenten._

 _It wasn't your fault._

 _And Lee – I'm so, so sorry. I-_

 _Tenten is right. You must...keep your head high, Naruto-kun._

* * *

As Team 9 approached from the other end of the clearing, side-by-side in an amicable line – Sakura couldn't help but feel oddly nostalgic. Having seen her own team as well as Team 10 – Sakura knew it was time for her to get used to it, but it never seemed to grow _quite_ natural, the rookies seeming almost like a photograph of the past until they moved and reached out towards her. _Neji, Lee, Tenten_ – faces round, eyes bright, so eager and yet still subconsciously sticking to Gai's shadow – the children before solemn, brave adults they inevitably grow into. It made her smile, small but unreservedly fond at the three young genin.

It would never really stop feeling lonely, Sakura knew, the fact that their years' worth of shared experiences and memories had been so simply _reset_ – but still, she thought, the company she had _now_ had to make up for it. It gave way for hope, for bright new possibilities – no matter how murderously Sasuke and Neji might be glowering at each other across the field. Sakura sighed. It was as if those type of boys had a _sensor_ for each other.

Meanwhile, Naruto's eyes were fixed on Lee. "Ugh, Sakura-chan, he's looking at you!" He exclaimed, half-horrified and half-amazed as he stared at the spandex-clad boy. " _Again_! Gah, he's _winking-_ Oh, Holy Kami, cleanse my eyes! What did I _do_ to deserve the green, skintight-"

"Not too loud, Naruto!" Sakura admonished, though she was looking anywhere but at Lee. "He'll hear you!"

Sasuke scoffed. "Don't think _hearing_ is one of his better qualities," he said, attention having moved from Neji to Lee. "Or he wouldn't be dressed like a visual impairment."

"Not you, too, Sasuke! Look, even his sensei is wearing the same thing-"

"Yeah, but he ain't shooting _hearts_ at us, Sakura-chan!"

"Kakashi!" Gai's voice boomed when Team 9 were only a few feet away, and Team 7 jumped slightly as the taijutsu master instantly cleared the last of distance, slinging an arm around the copy-nin and giving a squeeze. "My Eternal Rival!"

"Gai," Kakashi coughed around Gai's biceps. "Please get off me."

With a resounding laugh, Gai vigorously unwound his arm from Kakashi's neck before turning towards Team 7 and giving them a blinding smile. "And you must be his youthful students! My name is Gai! Maito Gai," he said. "It is simply wondrously youthful to finally meet you all!" Behind him, Team 9 had lined up, eyeing the three of them in interest. Or in guardedness, Sakura supposed, in Neji's case.

"Uh." Sakura said when Naruto seemed too flabbergasted at the proximity of the spandex and Sasuke too seriously questioning the level of Konoha jōnin force to reply. "Um, us too. I mean, it's a pleasure, Gai-sensei." She tried to ignore Lee's eyes burning holes in her face.

"Yes, yes," Kakashi waved a hand, already looking as if he regretted calling Gai up. "And Gai's students have seen me before, if my memory serves. Team 7, meet Team 9. Team 9, meet Team 7."

"Um!" Lee spoke up, his hand shooting into the air, and Kakashi raised an eyebrow. The spandex-clad boy's cheeks were red, eyes shining, fist clenched tightly at his chest and somehow, despite the warm weather Sakura felt a chill go down her back- "If I may, sir! I just wish to say something to the beautifully beautiful lady on the other team first!"

 _Here it comes._ Kakashi's eyebrows rose higher towards his hairline,Naruto's head snapped in her direction, Sasuke frowned confusedly, and Sakura resisted the urge to cover her face in her hands as Lee slowly got on one knee-

Naruto's eyes darted back and forth between Sakura and Lee. "What's going on? What is he doing?"

Lee's gaze was fervent as he stretched his hands out towards her. "I have fallen in love with you, my lady!" He exclaimed, voice reverent. "I will protect you with my life! Would you do me the honour of becoming my girlfriend?"

There was a pause, just enough for Sakura to hear Neji quietly sigh, then-

"Wait, _what_?!"

"What the- Lee! What are you _saying_?"

"Sakura-chan! Is he _serious_?"

"Tenten! Please don't hit me! I am serious!"

"Bastard! Why aren't you reacting? Did you hear what he said? _Sasuke_!"

"Get _off_ , Dobe!"

"Oh, what a _youthful_ declaration of love! Don't you think so, Kakashi?"

And below all the commotion, Sasuke's incredulous look that wanted _answers_ , Kakashi's amused expression, and Neji shaking his head, face turned heavenward.

 _Well,_ Sakura thought dryly. _At least some things never change._

Half-resigned, Sakura reached out, untangled Naruto's hand from Sasuke's collar, lowered his other hand which was pointing disbelievingly at Lee back down to his side, and straightened Sasuke's shirt while the two boys stared at her, befuddled. "Calm down, guys."

On their other side, Tenten had Lee's face buried in the dirt with her foot, the spandex-clad boy hitting the ground next to him in defeat.

"It's alright," Sakura said to the brunette, and she shot her an unsure look before reluctantly lifting her leg, prompting Lee to raise his head, eyes glowing hopefully. "Um, I'm sorry," she continued, awkwardly running a hand through her hair. "But I'm not interested. I'd prefer to just be friends, if we can?" After all, Lee _was_ a good man – a fine taijutsu-master in-training that Sakura could potentially learn a lot from. In the past, she had spent much too long scorning the boy simply due to the reason he wasn't as handsome as she would have preferred, and she really did hope they could start off as good friends this time.

"Shot down!" Naruto laughed gleefully, pumping his fist in the air. Crossing his arms, he smiled smugly. "Tough luck, fuzz-brows. She doesn't need any protection from you – Sakura-chan has me!" The sentence was met with a sharp slap to the backside of his head. "Ow! What'd you smack me for, Bastard?"

Lee's face fell, and he slowly pushed himself upright, looking crushed. "But why?" He pleaded. "Is it because we do not know each other well? In that case I'd-"

"No, no," Sakura waved her hands around, gesturing vaguely towards Lee and trying not to feel too guilty. Somehow, rejection had been a lot easier when she was younger. "I just…don't see you like that. Plus, I want to focus on training right now."

"Don't see me?" Lee's eyebrows slanted downwards. "Is it because you already have someone in mind?"

"Huh?" Sakura said, taken aback. Sensing Sasuke's eyes on her, and suddenly feeling as though put in an odd position, she scratched her brow sheepishly. "Uh, I-"

"That's enough, Lee!" Tenten snapped, placing her hands crossly on her hips. "The girl said no!" Turning towards Sakura, the brunette smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that," she said. "He didn't mean any harm. Lee, I mean." Then, throwing up her hands and giving Lee a dirty look, "I can't believe he confessed before even saying his name!"

"It's okay, it's okay." Sakura laughed. "I mean, I _am_ thankful. I just don't see him that way, that's all." Though Naruto seemed satisfied by Sakura's rejection, she could still feel Sasuke looking at her, and preferring not to have to confront him, Sakura discreetly angled her body away. _Why is he staring?_ She hoped Sasuke didn't think she was about to say his name – the matter of her true feelings aside, unravelling all the progress she had made with him by letting him believe she was still a fangirl was the last thing Sakura wanted to do.

"I get it," Tenten replied, grinning. "It's not that surprising." Beside her, Lee flinched as if she'd prodded an old injury. "I'm Tenten."

"Sakura."

"And I'm Uzumaki Naruto! The future Hokage, believe it!" The blond joined in, also beaming. It was clear that Lee's confession had done more than enough to break the ice, Naruto clearly feeling plenty friendly to skip towards the spandex-clad boy, who was slumped over in dejection, and give him a consolatory pat on the back. "Cheer up, bushy-brows! I'll be your friend! Just remember to not come within a 5-metre radius of Sakura-chan, yeah?"

Laughing good-naturedly, Tenten grabbed Lee's shoulders and straightened him up, shooing Naruto away. Then only two boys were left, and Tenten motioned towards Sasuke, who stood with his hands stuffed inside his pockets, having remained silent throughout the exchange. "And you?"

Finally moving his eyes away from Sakura – she let out a little exhale – Sasuke regarded Tenten for a few seconds before sliding his gaze to the brown-haired boy beside her. Neji had his eyes closed, arms crossed in front of him. It was clear that he was waiting for Sasuke to introduce himself first. Vaguely, Sakura thought she could remember something similar happening from her past-

 _You. What is your name?_

 _Don't you know it's common courtesy to give your own name before asking others?_

 _Some things really do never change_ , Sakura thought dryly, for the second time since the day started.

"Bastard!" Naruto called. "Don't be rude! She asked you for your name!"

Sasuke didn't respond, continuing to face Neji silently.

"Sa-su-ke! Bastard!" Naruto sang, slowly moving closer towards him and sticking his head in Sasuke's view. "He-e-e-y! Yoo-hoo!"

Sasuke continued to remain silent, though Sakura clearly saw his eyebrow twitch in irritation. She resisted the urge to laugh. It seemed as though Naruto himself had gotten a way of getting under Sasuke's skin – with complete airiness and vivacity. Or perhaps it was his way of making friends. It was a little different Naruto she knew from her past genin days, but also the irrevocably the same one at core – and deciding to join him, Sakura took a step towards Sasuke, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Sakura said, leaning close. "Even if you introduce yourself first, we'll still think you're cooler than him. Promise."

On Sasuke's other side, Naruto let out a bark of laughter at her words, and when Sasuke shot her a poisonous look it only served to make _her_ smile widely, too, that Sasuke let out an aggrieved groan, roughly shaking her hand off with a dark scowl. After glowering unhappily at two of them for a few seconds, Sasuke finally gave a sigh, turning away. " _Fine_ ," he said, not looking at Neji or Tenten but somewhere in between with dissatisfaction plastered all over his face. "Uchiha Sasuke."

Ever the breezy one, Tenten nodded. "Cool. Pleasure."

"Sorry," Sakura whispered to her.

Tenten shook her head. "Don't worry," she whispered back, jutting her chin towards Neji. "We've got one of those types, too."

As if on cue, Neji opened his eyes, pale and calm and proud all at once. "Hyūga Neji," he said. There was no vocal recognition of Sasuke's introduction, but Sakura was sure the two were internally analysing each other to a T. After all, they were a Hyūga and Uchiha, two of the largest clans in the entirety of Leaf – their rivalry wasn't too unnatural. But still, there was something about him, Sakura thought, something about Neji that she felt she should know-

The short silence was broken by Gai's clapping. "A _youthful_ tying of beautiful friendships, if I may say so myself, eh, Kakashi?" The taijutsu-master seemed to be pleased enough with Team 7, though what he saw in them Sakura had no idea – and Gai gave Kakashi a knowing look, half-proud and half-relieved, which the copy ninja promptly ignored.

"Let's just get on with it," Kakashi said. He brandished his hand, and the genin immediately snapped to attention as two long ribbons materialised between his fingers, sliding down his gloves. "Today's training will be a team exercise. At the Chūnin Exams, you will meet a variety of genin teams from all over the country. Though we don't know the contents of the exams, it's a given that teamwork will be essential."

"Your mission is simple," Gai took over, his voice practically thundering though without a microphone. "Obtain the other team's ribbon while protecting yours in a given time limit."

Promptly, Kakashi threw a red ribbon towards Team 7, which Naruto caught, and a black one of equal length towards Team 9, which landed in Tenten's hands. "Each team will designate one person to carry the ribbon. The ribbons must be tied at a visible location, and must be tied with one knot. Am I understood?"

He was met with nods all around.

"Oh, also," Kakashi continued. "I don't want to have to drag any of you to the hospital, so try to keep things slightly civil, okay?" His eye crinkled, resting on Sasuke and Neji a few more seconds than necessary. _Good ol' Kakashi,_ Sakura thought. _Going around noticing everything._

"Excellent!" Gai exclaimed. "You have three minutes to plan your strategy, and until one to decide the winner." Then, with a final dazzling smile Gai held up his thumb. "Let us explode with youthful energy!"

* * *

Team 9, Sakura thought, made for a good team. Well-balanced, and it was clear that the one year that they had over Team 7 hadn't gone to waste, either, the three moving swiftly towards their end of the field, the black cloth sliding decisively from Tenten's hands to Neji's without a moment of hesitation. Watching Team 9 disappear into the foliage Sakura pursed her lips, turning and hastening to catch up to Naruto and Sasuke herself.

"Kakashi-sensei's not too original, huh?" Naruto was saying when she followed the boys up onto a tree on their assigned side of the clearing. Legs raised up on the branch, he was resting his chin on his palm. "I mean, this is almost exactly like the bell test."

"Except we now have something of our own to protect," Sasuke said, eyeing the red ribbon wrapped around the blond's palm. "We can't run in blindly this time."

"No," Sakura agreed, staring at the sleek cloth herself. It was oddly similar to the second stage of the Chūnin Exams, she thought. Was this intentional? Had Kakashi-sensei organised it to help them? Regardless, Sakura felt her eyebrows slant in approval. This could possibly turn out to be a surprisingly good training session. "Anyway, for Team 9. It looks like Neji's it."

Leaning against the bark, Sasuke crossed his arms. "Of course he is. He's most likely the strongest of the three." His tone remained casual enough, but Sakura didn't miss how a kunai had suddenly found its way between his fingers, the metal glinting under the sunlight. Not to mention the anticipation Sakura could basically feel _radiating_ off of the blond on the other side of her. She supposed it was natural – after all, it was their first time facing off another genin team just like them. Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out her leather gloves. And a good chance for her to really see how far she had come.

"Don't be too quick to dismiss the other two," Sakura said, pulling the leather over her palm and flexing her fingers. Indeed, Neji was strong, no doubt about that, but Tenten was a skilled weapons-handler, and Lee was easily one of the fastest genin in Leaf. Most likely faster than Sasuke himself, at this stage. It was a genuine advice not only relating to this fight, but spanning his personality itself – after all, Sasuke's tendency for the underestimation of certain people was something that even Kakashi had immediately pointed out at their bell test.

Sasuke surprised her by meeting her gaze dead on. "I'm not," he replied. There was something personal in the way he said them, dark eyes running over her gloved hands, the memory of her frustration still laying thick on her mind – _I trained, Sasuke_ – and her voice failing, Sakura nodded.

"So," Naruto piped up. "Who's going to be it for us?"

Stretching out his hand for the ribbon, Sasuke's tone left no room for consideration. "I will." As if daring the blond or Sakura to speak up, he raised a challenging eyebrow.

Eyeing the two boys cautiously, Sakura slowly shook her head. She personally didn't mind who took the ribbon – it would be a good practice regardless – but _Naruto_ probably wanted to-

"Alright," Naruto said easily, pooling the ribbon into Sasuke's palm. "Here you go, Sasuke."

Surprised, Sakura turned towards the blond, taking in his breezy smile and hands clasped behind his head. Sasuke's own brows slightly furrowed, no doubt having expected some sort of resistance. Before, every step of Sasuke attempting to take leadership or an important role in a mission had been met with grumbles and pouts from the blond – unsure, Sakura felt her brows slant in worry. At their expressions, Naruto shrugged good-naturedly before shooting them a cheeky grin. "If the bastard wants to be the play the princess, I don't mind playing the knight! Anyway," he said, before Sasuke could protest at his choice of words. "Our plan?"

Apparently deciding to let the matter go, Sasuke closed his fingers around the ribbon, retracting his hand. "It won't be a hiding game," he said darkly. "Not with the Hyūga there."

"Neji?" Naruto frowned. "What's he got to do with it?"

"He has the Byakugan," Sakura explained. "It's kind of like the Sharingan – except it's unique to the Hyūga clan. It gives the user three-sixty vision, the ability to see targets very far away through any sort of barriers, track people down-"

"More eyeball scamming," Naruto grumbled. "Got it."

"Which means they'll know where we are, but we won't know where they are." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, the ribbon almost like blood against his pale hand as he flicked it distractedly between his fingers. "We're going to have to go out in the open."

* * *

Peeking out from the foliage alongside Naruto, with Sasuke behind them – Sakura couldn't help but feel a strange sense of irony. In a way, this was exactly what the Chūnin Exams would end up being like for her – beat the enemy, but stay by Sasuke's side. It didn't help that Sasuke had chosen to wrap the ribbon around his neck, either, looking almost like an oversized birthday present if the red cloth hadn't been so ominously close to where the curse mark had been in the past.

Ideally, Sakura knew that the best way she could keep Sasuke within her view at all times in the Chūnin Exams was if she held the reins in the team. If she was in charge of planning, then she could direct him to a position with minimal risk and prevent him from charging headlong into the enemy. The problem, was that Sasuke had an exceptional talent for _ignoring_ orders when he saw fit. The boys had astonished her by looking to her for directions when Team 7 had first met with Zabuza, which meant they _did_ respect her opinion to a good degree – but it wasn't a guarantee that they would absolutely follow her word.

In that case, then, the next best way would be to instil a sense of self-preservation into Sasuke, a certain sense that he was _not_ allowed to storm in but stay a step back and let Sakura and Naruto take the meat of an attack first. Which then required a good deal of cooperation and trust from all parties.

"You look excited, Sakura-chan," the blond said.

Adjusting her wrist strap one last time, Sakura gave him a sideways look. "Really?"

"Yeah." Naruto grinned. "It's a good look."

The shrill trill of the alarm clock cut through the air then, the same one from their bell test having made a re-appearance, and immediately Naruto disappeared along with Sasuke, while she fell out from trees, leaving herself out in the open. She cracked her knuckles, walking towards the middle of the clearing. A few distance away she could sense Team 9's chakras – but they wouldn't stay in hiding for long.

True to her word, as soon as she began running she was met with a green blur, dropping down onto her with a roundhouse kick as Sakura raised her arm to deflect it. She smiled lightly when Lee's eyes widened at the contact, most likely having expected her to leap away. Sakura twisted, driving her other fist into his stomach – when he flipped over in the air, placing his foot flat on Sakura's arm and pushing away in all a span of less than a second.

 _Fast_ , Sakura thought, and let out a small huff of laughter as she watched Lee spiral in the air. No doubt Neji and Tenten was watching them from the trees, watching just what the pink-haired girl from Team 7 could do. In her past genin days, she would have never been able to even _face_ Lee. After all, all her life, Lee's taijutsu had been much more exceptional, much faster and stronger than her. But ever since she travelled back in time she had been training night and day to build up stamina and muscle strength, and compared to _jōnin_ Sakura, genin Lee was-

Waiting for the right moment as Lee prepared to land, Sakura clenched her fist, relishing the feel of leather rubbing against each other, then at the last second slammed her hand to the ground. Not waiting for the fissures to split she darted towards Lee, taking advantage of the moment where a wide crack opened up right below him and Lee's expression changed into one of disbelief, and he _stumbled-_ Appearing right behind Lee, Sakura swung her fist, clicking her tongue when Lee somehow dodged even that – he didn't devote his life to taijutsu for nothing, after all – but it gave her enough of an opening to catch his retaliatory kick, fingers solidly wrapping around his ankle. _A good height. Not too lethal._ _He shouldn't break anything._ Lee only had the briefest of moments for his eyes to widen before Sakura _threw_ him down with a triumphant shout, "Shannarō!" watching with blithe satisfaction as Lee went crashing to the ground, landing back-first and sending a resounding crater rippling out below him.

 _Not bad_ , Sakura thought, assessing the size of the hollow. _Larger than I thought._ She grinned.

Of course, she wouldn't be able to keep up the speed for _too_ long, lest suffer the aftereffects – she had to stay in top condition until the Chūnin Exams, after all – but the effect was worth it, air stretching quiet as the stray rocks and pieces of ground cluttered away. Below her, Lee groaned, clearly wanting to stand up, but ended up dissolving into a coughing fit instead. But when he met her eyes, there was nothing but awe, pure, unadulterated appreciation of her strength in his expression even as he struggled to speak. "S-Sakura-san," he coughed. "Amazing."

It had taken Sakura four years to receive such a look from Lee in her past. One without a single trace of lovesickness, but only admiration. It made Sakura's grin wider.

 _In the open? But you've got the ribbon, bastard. You can't do that!_

 _Which is why we'll need a bait. We need someone in the open to draw the other two out._

 _Right. That makes sense. One of us will stay with Sasuke in case they decide to go charging at us – and the other down to the clearing._

 _Once that happens, either the girl or spandex will probably come out for interception, while the other will most likely stick with the Hyūga. Considering our lack of information about each other, it's in their best interests to test the waters, too. We'll need to catch them off-guard there – thrash enough to lure the other one out as well, or give their location away. Once that happens, we know where the Hyūga is._

 _We just need to surprise them._

Right on time, Sakura leapt backwards as a line of kunai neatly embedded themselves between Lee and herself, followed by a barrage of shuriken which rained out from the trees to her right, forcing her to create more distance between the spandex-clad boy. _There you are._ Taking out her kunai, Sakura batted away at them, scowling when one nicked her arm, and another at her ankle. Kunai and shuriken were staples to every ninja, but no one carried them in quantities like _Tenten_ – her fingers twitched, and Sakura pushed them into her pouch instead. _Not now. Not until the Chūnin Exams-_ Threading her own shurikens through her fingers Sakura sent them to fly, though they were helplessly few against the brunette's arsenal.

Tenten, and most likely Neji's location had been already just about made plain by the course of the brunette's weapons, and no doubt that Naruto and Sasuke was zeroing in on them – but her role in the plan involving luring Tenten _out_ , and isolating Neji.

Turning on her feet, Sakura ran back towards Lee through the continuing kunai, sacrificing her shoulder as one cut a deep slash into it. After all, she could always heal it later. Right now, her priority was to get to Lee, who, to her amazement, had already staggered up to a standing position – the resilience of the Green Beast of Konoha really was _nothing_ to scoff at, considering how hard she had slammed him down- It was only Lee's awful luck that he happened to have his back to her as she darted towards him. Grabbing a hold of Lee's jumpsuit just as he turned at the sound of her approaching, Sakura lifted him up, gritting her teeth when Lee locked his leg up and around her elbow. That was going to sprain _badly_ ; if she had been anyone else, she would have been forced to let go. Pumping chakra through her arms, Sakura yelled, "Sorry, Lee!" as she threw him _again_ , this time headlong into the trees where Tenten's weapons had come from.

There was a long shout of "Sakura-saaaaaan!" as Lee flew, before he solidly hit the bark of the tree and crumpled to the floor, causing it to crack loudly before slowly falling backwards. Suddenly struck with a sense of déjà vu, Sakura remembered throwing Sasuke much the same way a while ago at their spar, chuckling as she wondered just what kind of expression he must be making at the sight of Lee sprawled on the ground.

But there wasn't time for stray thoughts as Tenten dropped down from the snapped tree towards Lee, kneeling beside him as he sat up, while above them beige blur leapt up and away, soon followed by a similar blue figure from nearby foliage.

Following them with her eyes Sakura waved a hand over her shoulders and arm, healing the cuts and sprain Tenten and Lee had made – when Naruto landed beside her with a grin. "Could have left me something to _do_ , Sakura-chan!"

Letting out a laugh, Sakura ruffled his hair affectionately. "Don't worry," she said, her voice turning serious. "Lee's insanely fast. The only reason I got him because he was surprised. He'll be extra on guard now."

"Aw," Naruto gave her a reassuring pat. "I gotcha, Sakura-chan. Leave the rest to me and go help our princess! I'll be there soon, believe it!"

With a nod, Sakura leapt away, Naruto's ever-confident " _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" and the sound of an army of the blond filling out the training grounds behind her.

* * *

"Lee!" Tenten shouted, darting down onto the ground, grabbing at his spandex. "Are you okay?"

"Tenten," Lee groaned, struggling up. "What about Sakura-san…?"

"She's gone," she replied. "It looks like we're up against Naruto now."

"Tenten," Lee said again, and frowning in worry, she leaned closer. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

"No," he shook his head. "But I did see…something strange-"

* * *

Watching the fight from afar, near the entrance of the clearing, Gai made a loud sound of approval. "That girl, Kakashi!" He exclaimed. "Sakura, was it? Her strength is something, my friend. I'm glad I asked you for a training session."

"It is," Kakashi agreed. Indeed, the sight of his pink-haired students throwing boys around like juggling balls did have its merits, he'd give her that – but at the moment something else lay heavy on his mind. Before, he might have simply dismissed Kurenai's concerns from his mind – after all, firstly, it wasn't his business, and secondly, what Kakashi suspected Sakura might be trying to prevent at the Chūnin Exams didn't involve the Hyūga as far as he was aware – but seeing Neji for himself, the look in his light eyes eerily reminiscent of Sasuke's- With a sigh, Kakashi tucked his orange book away. "I need to ask you something, Gai."

* * *

When Sakura joined them, a smaller area separated from the main clearing by a light line of foliage – Sasuke and Neji were circling each other in a defensive stance, two scowling boys with a long ribbon wrapped around their necks that fluttered delicately in the air. Letting out a noise that was half-snort and half-laughter, Sakura dropped down beside Sasuke. "Looking cute today, guys."

"Sakura," Sasuke frowned, at the same time Neji narrowed his eyes, though the Byakugan remained unactivated. It was nice to know that she at least had a presence for Neji to feel wary of. "And the Dobe?"

"Fighting," she replied.

Sasuke gave her a _look_ , then, that clearly said something like, _Go help the blond, then. I want to take on the Hyūga by myself._

"Um, no." Fixing her gloves, she returned an equally cross look. "It's a _teamwork_ exercise, remember? We need the ribbon. If you want to fight Neji alone, you can ask him on a date later." Which _was_ for her own purpose of practising against an opponent whose core purpose was to get to Sasuke – but also because a stand-alone match between Sasuke and Neji wasn't one that she was too keen on seeing.

After all, realistically speaking, Neji, at this stage, was probably the strongest among the Rookies, with his Byakugan, chakra-sealing abilities and speed enough to override Lee's. There was no doubt that Sasuke was powerful, also a prodigy in his own right – but as of now, his Sharingan wasn't developed, he didn't have the Curse Seal – one fact Sakura was determined to keep it that way – and neither did he have the Chidori, his signature weapon.

If Sasuke _lost_ , that was something she _really_ didn't want to have hanging over them just before Chūnin Exams.

Not waiting for Sasuke's reply, Sakura darted forth, meeting Neji halfway and swinging her fist. Neji was no slower than Lee, but subtler and more refined with his movements – evading her attacks by angling his body a slightest bit away each time. Being the one with the ribbon, he was clearly on the defensive, though Sakura suspected seeing her with Lee had helped. One good hit, and she would send him flying. But once Neji got used to her, he wouldn't hesitate to go on the offensive, and that was where the trouble would start- _What to do…_

Sensing Sasuke move behind her, Sakura slowly drove him further and further into a line of trees, before raising her leg in a kick, and when Neji put up his arm in a block, used it as a foothold to push off and spiral away, creating just enough distance between them for Sasuke to-

" _Katon: Gokakyū no Jutsu_!"

Sasuke's fireballs only got bigger and bigger with time, Sakura thought proudly, red flames filling her vision and the heat prickling at her skin. Rolling to the left, Neji burst out of the flames, the ends of his shirt and the ribbon slightly charred.

Landing beside her, Sasuke smirked. "Not going to use your Byakugan?"

 _Good ol' Sasuke,_ Sakura inwardly sighed. _Going around provoking everyone._ If Neji decided to activate the Byakugan, then Sasuke would also end up having no choice but to use his Sharingan – then this training exercise wouldn't be an _exercise_ anymore.

"You may regret it." As if honouring his request, Neji lifted his hand, and wiped the soot away from his face – leaving the Byakugan in its wake, veins bulging at his eyes.

Feeling the tension in the fight suddenly rise tenfold, Sakura swallowed. Somewhere along the way, this had begun to feel less like a spar and more like a _battle_ , the ribbon most definitely forgotten in the minds of the two boys. _Well_ , Sakura supposed, _incapacitation_ is _the most foolproof way to victory._ "Jūken," she said, watching Neji adjust his stance, palms out. Generally, her method of taijutsu worked well enough with most opponents, but against a _Hyūga_ -

"Don't let him touch you," Sasuke said, clearly already aware of the Hyūga specialties, and she nodded.

But Neji didn't give her any time for contemplation as he shot towards them, and Sakura's eyes widened at his newfound speed. After all, the difference between Byakugan and no Byakugan was nothing to scoff at – and Sasuke and Sakura was forced to alternate in engaging Neji in taijutsu, taking over when the other became too close to being hit, Sakura once _brushing_ the edge of the ribbon with her fingers, substituting with a _kawarimi_ , Sasuke launching his fire jutsu from afar-

Ducking under a kick and somersaulting away, Sakura scowled. Relying on her superhuman strength, she couldn't allow her tenketsu to be sealed, and between dodging Neji's blows it was near impossible to land one of her own. Though Sasuke seemed to be faring slightly better, having fought for less – not to mention towards him Neji also seemed to be maintaining a certain degree of caution yet, no doubt expecting a Sharingan. It wasn't like Neji to immediately reveal all of his arsenal from the get-go, after all.

Leaping up into the air when Sasuke came down on Neji from the back with an axe kick, Sakura pulled out her weapons, about to hurl them- when a violent explosion rocked the clearing beside them, the one with Naruto and the rest of Team 9, sending smoke and rocks galore.

Simultaneously freezing, the three of them all turned in the direction of the sound, while Sakura caught Sasuke's eyes, dark and steady though obviously taken aback. Exchanging a nod, they ran through the foliage that separated the two areas, waving away at the grey smoke – when they saw Naruto plummeting down on them, blue eyes wide and arms stretched out as he fell face-first from the air. "Sakura-chaaaaan!"

" _Naruto_?" Sakura yelped, disbelief plain on her features even as the blond rapidly approached from the above. "What in the world-"

"Sakura!" Sasuke's hand roughly grabbed at her arm, hurriedly pulling her towards him and out of the blond's way, and tumbling, they both fell to the ground, Naruto crashing down onto the ground beside them with a yell.

"Wh-What's the big deal?" Sakura exclaimed, shaking hair out of her face and struggling to gain her bearings. Behind her, Sasuke let out a sound as her elbow dug into his side, having taken the brunt of the fall, and Sakura quickly climbed off his leg. "Sorry, sorry!"

On her other side, Naruto groaned, rolling over to his back and panting harshly. The smell of fire was thick around the blond, and on closer look he looked _battered_ , covered in bruises and dirt. Running her hands over him, fingers lighting green with chakra, Sakura helped him up, brows furrowing in concern when Naruto shook his head, pushing her away. "Wait, Sakura-chan, you've got to hear this – and the bastard, too-"

"What?" Crouching beside the blond, Sasuke scowled. "And what about the others?"

Naruto continued to shake his head, and Sakura held his shoulder, steadying him. "I was using the explosive tags that you gave me, bastard – made a bunch of clones and stuck them on Tenten's weapons while I took on the spandex-" That explained the injuries, Sakura thought, his fight with Lee must have battered him _silly_ , even with his almost endless supply of clones – not to mention the brunette's weapons raining down on him. Still, she felt her eyebrows rise at his use of the kibakufuda. It was surprisingly good tactics for the blond. "Then when it exploded, I dispelled all my clones, and- and one of them must've been near Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei. I heard something – something like the fact that…" When he raised his head, his eyes were oddly bright amidst all the smoke. "Something like the fact that Neji is going to kill Hinata at the Chūnin Exams."

* * *

"So it has even reached Kurenai's ears." Gai's voice was low, and nothing like the usual exuberance he typically exercised himself with.

Kakashi's brows furrowed. So there _was_ at least a shade of credibility to Kurenai's concerns – Gai's reaction proved as much. Otherwise, he would have reacted with complete disbelief, or even outrage – quiet grimness was something people didn't hear often from the taijutsu master.

"To be fair," Kakashi said, trying to keeping his tone light, "Kurenai has very good ears."

Gai still shook his head, turning away. "I will speak to Neji, as well as Kurenai herself. Kakashi, I-"

Kakashi shook his head. "I won't speak of it to anyone."

"Thank you." Gai gave him a slight smile. "I must say, however," he continued after a long pause, "I'm disappointed in Kurenai. She should have come to me directly. Not send you to me. It was most un-youthful of her."

Kakashi made a sound of agreement. "I told her as much. But she seemed to worry in case you would take it negatively." Which was a reasonable assumption, Kakashi thought – no one would enjoy accusations against their students, after all – but not a fair one. Gai wasn't the sort of character to react with blind hostility, and she couldn't always use proxy parties to handle discussion she didn't want to have. He shrugged. "She probably only wanted the most honest opinion she could get," Kakashi continued. "Seemed to be especially invested in the Hyūga girl."

There was a beat of silence. Then Gai moved, fixing him with an uncharacteristically serious stare. "We are all invested in our students, Kakashi," he said quietly.

And involuntarily, the image of Team 7, Sakura sprawled bloody on the ground with Naruto and Sasuke kneeling over her, then Sakura, sitting on the log with Sai – flashed through his mind, and now it was Kakashi's turn to look away, letting out a silent breath while running a hand through his hair. "I suppose you're right."

* * *

"What?" Sakura froze, staring at Naruto, who ran an agitated hand through his hair, mussing it up further. She watched him as his hands anxiously clenched and unclenched by his sides, blue eyes unsure and seeking their reactions, while with a glance to her side it was clear that Sasuke was struggling to match a face to the name.

"The heiress of the Hyūga clan," Sakura supplied, and recognition finally flickered through his eyes. _Figures that's how he would know her_.

"The heiress-" Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed, then, coming to a certain realisation, "He wants to kill someone from the his own clan?"

Shooting Sasuke a worried look, Sakura turned back to the blond. "Naruto, are you sure?" She didn't like the way the light in Sasuke's eyes had changed at the mention of exactly _who_ Hinata was – it wasn't too hard to guess at what Sasuke was thinking – a talented member of a prestigious clan targeting the future matriarch of his own- There weren't _too_ many people in Sasuke's history that fit the bill.

Naruto took a few seconds to reply – biting at his lip before nodding so hard that he was practically swinging his head. "I'm sure," he said. "I heard something like branch family, and revenge, too. Whatever that means."

Feeling something cold slide down her back at Naruto's surety, Sakura pursed her lips. She knew that Neji hadn't been the _most_ cooperative in his genin days – but as the years passed Neji had become nothing but utterly faithful and steadfast towards Hinata. If she thought back, hard, she vaguely remembered something like a _furious_ fight between Naruto and Neji- No, before that, Hinata falling at Neji's feet, the stadium silent for a few, long moments before breaking in applause – the Chūnin Exams. Was _that_ what had caused Naruto' had changed about Neji through their fight? His feelings towards Hinata? But- "But _why_? They're cousins."

The blond shrugged, looking hopelessly lost. "I don't know."

 _Branch family. Revenge. Cousins._ Sasuke had gone utterly quiet, and turning towards him Sakura saw his eyes _flicker_ , a slight flash of red that came and went like a fire going out- Reaching out, Sakura lightly touched his arm, and startling, Sasuke met her eyes. "Nothing's certain," she said quietly, and, Sasuke pursed his lips before pushing her hand back to her side with his own.

"So, um," Naruto frowned, appearing halfway between regretting he ever heard the conversation between Kakashi and Gai and being glad that he had. "Are we going to do anything? Hinata's _life_ might be in danger!"

"And what do you propose we do?" Sasuke scoffed. "Walk up to the Hyūga, and kindly ask him to hold back on the killing, please?" Sasuke gave Team 9 a glance between the clearing smoke, who was huddled up under a tree a fair distance from them, Lee apparently fussing over Tenten's injured arm while Neji sat by her side. Sasuke shook his head. "It doesn't seem like his teammates know about it. And if we tried to tell them, they would probably try to have our heads before we're even done speaking."

"Sasuke's right," Sakura agreed. There was no way that Team 9 would take kindly to that sort of statement. "We're going to have to just stay quiet for now." She held up a hand when the blond opened his mouth to protest. "We don't even know the full story, Naruto. Just some words from Kakashi that could have been severely out of context. When we see Hinata and Neji at the Chūnin Exams – _then_ we can think about it."

Seemingly convinced, Naruto hesitantly nodded.

When the three of them stood, mind weighty but resolving to forget about the affair until the exams – the alarm went off, the trills loud and clear across the fields.

* * *

"I thought I said it was an _exercise_ ," Kakashi said, arms crossed in front of him. "Not an order for _destruction_."

As the main perpetrators, Naruto and Sakura stood sheepishly in front of the jōnin, the blond rubbing at his neck. "But it was _strategy_ , Kakashi-sensei!" He pleaded. "I was all doing it for the sake of the exercise!"

"Sorry, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura followed. "But I mean, we had to take on Team 9 _somehow-_ "

Pressing at his temples, Kakashi sighed. "You guys…"

Gai came to their rescue with a hearty laugh, patting Kakashi on the back. "Now, now," he said placatingly. "It was just some youthful display of their youth, Kakashi!"

"And are you," Kakashi said, shooting the taijutsu master a flat look, "going to be writing the report to Hokage-sama for the creation of a new set of _craters_ in Training Grounds Eighteen?"

 _Not like you're going to write it, either, Kakashi-sensei,_ Sakura inwardly grumbled.

Letting go of Kakashi as if he had been burned, Gai swerved around, smiling at his team, and Kakashi sighed. "It's getting late, isn't it? Why not let us separate, and get lunch?"

Naruto jumped into the air with a cheer, Sasuke tucking his weapons away in his pouch with a roll of his eyes. Meanwhile, Sakura turned, sensing eyes on her form – when she saw Lee, standing next to Tenten, who was nursing a burn on her arm from Naruto's explosives. But when Lee met her gaze, he hurriedly looked away, prompting Sakura to , he would have smiled, or winked at her- _What's up with him?_

"Fine," Kakashi said. "Team 7, you're dismissed. However, I want everyone back at sunset. We'll be practicing training in the dark."

"Plenty of time!" Naruto grinned, before whirling towards Sakura. "Sakura-chan, do you want to go get ramen?"

"Sorry," Sakura shook her head. "I told my mum I'd be home for lunch." Which wasn't completely true – but she had indeed told Sai she would be home. With the Chūnin Exams so close, it was important to spend as much time getting things sorted, not to mention, as a skilled ANBU-level shinobi, Sai was another vital facet in her training.

"Aw," Naruto deflated, pouting. "You're so busy these days, Sakura-chan! I guess I have no choice-" Reaching out, he wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulders. "Bastard! I guess I can accompany you, then-"

"No."

"Aw, come on!"

"Same goes for you, Lee, Tenten," Gai nodded. "We'll meet later at our usual spot after lunch." When they saluted in reply, Gai turned towards Neji. "For you, Neji, a word, if you please," he said, gesturing a hand at the boy, and Team 7 exchanged a dark look. _It must be about that_ , the blond mouthed, and Sakura nodded, brows furrowing.

Seeming confused, Neji slightly tilted his head, but obediently fell in line with Gai regardless.

"Tenten, will you be okay taking care of that burn?"

"No problem, Gai-sensei." Tenten said easily, though she looked equally confused at what Gai had to say to Neji.

"Wonderful!" The taijutsu master gave them a thumbs-up. "Team 7, let us engage in a youthful training session again next time!"

"Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted at their retreating backs. "I shall wait for you by running hundred, no, _two_ hundred laps around Konoha!"

* * *

When everyone had left the training grounds, Naruto needling Sasuke the whole way – Sakura saw Tenten heading back towards the direction of the training grounds, taking a scroll out of her pouch and spreading it the whole way across the clearing.

"Tenten." Sakura called, leaping down onto the grounds herself. "What are you doing?"

"Sakura." Tenten turned, seeming surprised. "Just organising my weapons," she said. "Naruto really did a good job flinging them everywhere. I got most of them, but there are some I missed, too."

Indeed, after the smoke had fully cleared there had been a myriad of weapons protruding from the ground – it was probably only due to Naruto's ridiculous healing abilities that he wasn't walking around with more cuts than the amount of hair on his head. Though as of now Tenten seemed to be battling more with the actual amount of weapons she had, in the past, after years of honing her skills, Tenten had just about mastered every single weapon out there, while most shinobi tended to stick to the basic kunai and shuriken.

Pulling out a mace from the trunk of a tree and placing it onto the scroll, Tenten winced, having unwittingly pressed against her injury and reaching out, Sakura pulled her arm into her hands. "Here. Let me have a look."

"Huh? But what can you-" When Sakura's hands began to glow, Tenten was cut off short, falling silent.

Burns were a little difficult to treat compared to simple cuts, but after a little bit of time the skin had moulded back flawlessly, leaving smooth skin behind and Sakura removed her hands, smiling. "There!"

Tenten stared at her arm in disbelief, poking the skin as if testing if it was real. "How did you-"

"Learnt from someone I know," Sakura said quickly, not wanting to get into details again after the Sasuke and Kakashi debacle. "Just the basics."

"You-" Tenten met her gaze, brown eyes wide. But besides the admiration, there was something else- "Your strength. And medical ninjutsu…"

Sakura frowned. "Tenten?"

"Just like Tsunade-sama," she said quietly, the words almost inaudible, and inwardly, Sakura startled. Then, louder, "That's amazing."

Pretending to not have heard her earlier statement, Sakura shook her head, waving at the scroll laid out on the ground. "Fūinjutsu, though," she said. " _That's_ really something." And it was true – Sakura didn't have Tenten's aptitude for weapons, but if she had her capability for fūinjutsu, there would be plenty of things she would want to carry with her – explosives, medical kits, replenishment pills, wires, boulders- The possibilities were endless.

Tenten shrugged. "Well, it's my trade. Got to keep my weapons somewhere, right?" Gingerly wrapping the metal chain of a kusarigama around its handle, Tenten placed it next to the pile of senbons. "You guys are strong," she said after a pause. "I thought our team was really strong, but so is yours."

"Nah," Sakura said, sitting down beside the scroll and tugging the gloves off her fingers. "Your team really kept us on our toes." Not to mention Neji hadn't even gone at them with his full power – though she suspected it was the same for Lee. After all, Team 9's main strategy for the Chūnin Exams had been to lay low to avoid drawing attention to themselves. If they met again for a _real_ fight, that would be another one coming.

Tenten grinned. "Neji and Lee have always been super intense. They motivate me to train hard, too – I wouldn't let them beat me! My dream is to be a legendary kunoichi like Tsunade-sama, after all."

Sakura was almost scared to ask. "Like Tsunade-sama?"

"Not a medic-nin, though." She waved a hand dismissively. "I know my chakra control isn't good enough for that. I've failed a lot of times. That's why I think you're amazing for being able to pull it off."

 _Tenten tried for medic-nin? She wanted to be like Tsunade-shishō?_

Then she remembered Tenten, eagerly waiting with the rest of the girls at the bottom of the Hokage Tower, while Sakura leapt into their arms- _I made it! Tsunade-sama's agreed to train me!_ The brown-haired girl, spinning her around, warm hands on her shoulders, a bright smile. _Congratulations, Sakura!_ _I knew you'd make it!_

"I…I didn't know that," Sakura said quietly.

Tenten gave her a strange look. "Well, yeah. I did just tell you." Sealing the weapons one by one with a puff, Tenten tugged at the scroll, the long paper winding neatly around itself and snapping effortlessly against her hand. "Anyway! It doesn't mean that I've given up on being a legendary kunoichi. There aren't any weapons specialist in Konoha as far as I know, so with my fūinjutsu, I'll make a name for myself!" Sakura had no words to reply with as Tenten turned to her with a wide smile. "It's been a while since I've been able to talk to a girl like this – I hope we can be good friends, Sakura."

* * *

When Sakura returned home, the smell of pies was thick in the air, sweet and savoury and comforting.

"I'm back," she called, taking her sandals off and pattering inside.

"Sakura!" Peeking out from the kitchen, her mother's eyes widened. "I didn't know you'd be back so soon!"

"Well," she grinned, tugged at a piece of her hair. "Eating lunch home once in a while is nice, right?"

Mebuki beamed. "Wait there, I'll bring you something to eat. Great timing, too – I've just finished making some pies. Do you want the lamb, or the beef?"

"Beef," Sakura replied, taking a seat on the dining table. When her mother laid out a plate before her, she eagerly dug in. It _had_ been a while since she had sat at the dining table like this – many days she left before breakfast, came home long into the night, or ate out with Naruto, or the rest of her team instead. Her chest prickled at the thought. _Guilt_ , she thought it was. "It's really nice," Sakura told her. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Still smiling, Mebuki sat across her, leaning her chin into her hand. "I'm okay. Just happy to watch my daughter eat."

There was silence for a few moments – just the sound of clinking forks, until she put the cutlery down, wiping her mouth with a napkin. If she were honest, she really didn't want to do this, but it was an issue that they had to sort out- "Mum," Sakura said, after a pause.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to enter the Chūnin Exams."

Her mother froze for a moment, before continuing to straighten out the table cloth with a smile. She didn't meet her eyes. "Okay. When?"

"The one next week."

Mebuki opened her mouth, then closed it, pursing her lips. When she raised her head, Sakura tried not to look away. "You mean _two days_ later. Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I- sorry," she said. "I forgot."

"Forgot?" Mebuki repeated, her voice soft. "How can you _forget_ something like that? Chūnin Exams is a large-scale event, isn't it? Ninja _die_ trying to pass the exam."

"I'm sorry. I just…had a lot of things on my mind." It was true – she had no excuse. In the past, she remembered taking the participation form to her mother, clutching at her apron. _What should I do, mum? Sasuke-kun and Naruto will be entering… But so many strong shinobi will be there, too. Can I really do well?_ In focusing on her training, her team, her parents had slowly and slowly fallen on her priorities, almost in the background, though in her past, she had relied so much on them.

"Sakura," Mebuki said. "If your dream is to become a high-calibre kunoichi, I have no intention of standing in your way. Of course, I was a little taken aback, but…I just hope you can _talk_ to me sometimes. Nowadays, you spend most of your time outside, like you're _obsessed_ with training- Then appearing one day in your room with the smell of blood enough to choke-"

"I-" Breaking off, Sakura sighed. It wasn't as if she didn't understand where her mother was coming from, but- "I'm a genin, now, mum. Not an Academy student. Then I'll become chūnin, then jōnin – I can't keep spending time at home."

"Sakura, you're only _thirteen_! Sometimes, I just miss my little girl who actually used to _talk_ to me-" Looking distraught, Mebuki wrung her hands. " _Why_ did I have to hear about my own child's medical-ninjutsu, or superhuman strength from her _teammates_?"

"You mean Sasuke and Naruto," Sakura said, voice starting to shake, wishing she could keep her voice down but unable to hide the bubble of frustration that was quickly rising up against her insides. "What did he say to you? What did you say to him?"

"That's not the point-"

"That is _exactly_ the point. Why did you invite them behind my back?" She wanted to stop – stop raising her voice, stop fighting, stop making her mother sad-

" _Behind your back_?" Mebuki said icily. "I am your mother, Sakura. I have the right to know what goes on in your life."

"Then you could have just asked me!"

"I would have done that if that were a choice!"

Surprised, Sakura reeled.

"That day," Mebuki continued heatedly, but her eyes were glassy. It made the weight in Sakura's chest grow heavier. "That day that you brought that hitai-ate home – it's like you became a completely different person. This whole time, I waited – maybe you would talk to me some day. I waited – but at the same time I knew exactly what you would say – _don't worry, mum._ It's not like I would understand anyway, I barely classify as a ninja-"

"Mum," Sakura stood, moving around the table towards her. "No, that's not-"

"You've just _changed_ so much recently, Sakura," she said quietly. "I wish I could help you, too."

* * *

When Kakashi arrived home, there was a paper stuck to his kitchen table with a shuriken. His first response had been alarm – after all, none of his traps had shown signs of being undone, neither did anything look different from when he left the house – but it had soon dissipated and turned to annoyance once he warily approached it and read the first line.

 _Maybe you should change your traps, Kakashi-sensei. It's been the same for 6 years._

 _Of course_ , Kakashi thought. With the exams so near, he _had_ been expecting Sakura to approach him again sooner or later – but he hadn't expected this. His traps were nothing to scoff at – to enter utterly undisturbed one would have to know exactly where each one was, and how they operated. _But Sakura was with me whole morning. Was it the Root?_ Sighing, he glanced around his apartment, his eyes landing on his bedside table. As he suspected, there was a small white crane sitting innocently atop the participants' list, and below it, his individual notes. _A truly one-sided conversation_ , Kakashi mused, half-exasperated, and half-disbelieving and slightly, very slightly, impressed. _Breaks in, sees what I know, leaves a letter._

He turned his attention back to the paper again. The thin, sharp scrawl continued – the handwriting didn't quite suit her, Kakashi thought absently. _Please ventilate. The place reeks of dog._

 _Ninken_ , Kakashi reflexively corrected in his mind, and had to take a second of pause at how quickly and naturally the reply had rose up, like a typical response to an argument he might have had for years.

Then, another line below, _Ninken are still dogs, sensei._

 _Then_ , a line that had Kakashi freezing on the spot – _Please don't tell Sakura about this._

* * *

A/N:

Hmm, who said that the Chūnin Exams would be starting in this chapter?

I really was planning to – normally I have a basic outline of what I want to include in each chapter – but every time when I write them, they just get longer and longer and longer and I can't fit everything! When I finished what I intended for chapter 12, I had nearly double the amount of word count I usually have. (And I think my chapters are already too long as it is – I couldn't make you guys suffer by making it even _longer_!)

I think this is where my amateurism at writing shows – terrible planning skills, that is.

Anyway, because I want to uphold what I said last time, I will be uploading the next chapter _one week_ from now on – so that it isn't as long a wait as usual, but I still have time to fix up some things. Then I'm planning to start the Second Phase in the chapter _after_ that. I hope you guys can still stick with me despite my inexperience.

On another note, it's already halfway past January, which means it's almost been a year since I've started this story. (Though plot-wise the story is still hopelessly near its beginnings.) I'm really grateful to everyone who's read my story and supported me so far despite all my flaws.

If anyone has any questions, or comments, please don't hesitate to leave it in the reviews below. I always appreciate feedback.

On _another_ another note, I hope everyone has had a wonderful New Year! For me, I was over the moon because I was accepted into the medical school of my first choice. May everyone have an exceptional 2018!

See you guys next week!


	13. First Phase

_Do you think I could be friends with everyone again?_

* * *

When Sakura stepped into her room, Sai was sitting atop her bed.

"Hey," she said, closing the door behind her. She winced at the tiredness that unconsciously flooded into her voice – seeing her mother break down like that had taken more out of her than she had previously anticipated. Sakura couldn't blame her – she might have returned in time from a catastrophic future with memories of worth six years _,_ but for Mebuki, it was her only daughter growing impossibly far away and out of her grasp over a single night. Raising a hand to her temples, Sakura resisted the urge to sigh. _I should have been nicer_ , she thought. _Why did I raise my voice?_

At the sight of her Sai immediately stood, his paintbrush disappearing somewhere between his fingers. When she met his eyes, his brows furrowed. "You look like a hag."

"Thanks," Sakura replied.

"Did something happen?"

Sakura held his gaze. Black, curious, uncertain, worried – words that she too often associated with him these days. Then her eyes slipped down to his neck and there was a bruise, no, _bruises,_ dotted like dark clouds on a white sky on his skin and disappearing underneath his collar. No doubt they were injuries that hadn't yet healed from his Root missions, and it reminded her of – _If Sasuke stays in Team 7, then, I-_ "No," she shook her head. "Just overthinking things. As usual. What were you doing?"

Sai frowned, clearly not convinced, but at her expression, let it go and sat back down on the bed. "Inspecting your weapons."

True to his word, laying on her floor in a line were those that she would take into the exams – kunai, shuriken, a few soldier pills- "Senbon," Sai nodded approvingly. It had been his suggestion – with her medical knowledge, senbon could quickly become deadly, but it had never been her most preferred way of attacking. Punching the enemy's nose in had been much easier. Then, beside the pile of needles, a small, red bag tightened shut with a gold string. "Poison," he finally said. "And paralysis." Having arrived at the end of the line, he looked up. "Have you had time to test them?"

Sakura shook her head. "It was hard enough making them without anyone noticing. Besides, since I don't have access to the hospital or any laboratories, I had only local plants to use. They won't be too strong. Definitely not enough to kill." Yet it was an addition to her arsenal still, and she only had Shizune and Tsunade to thank – it was due to being the Godaime's apprentice that she had been well-educated in the properties of most local and exotic plants which could be extorted for medical, or possibly, toxic purposes. Unfastening her pouch, she placed it on the floor beside them before beginning to pack the items away.

There was a long creak as Sai shifted on the bed. "...Is your mind unchanged?"

Her hands faltering, her grip on a shuriken slipped slightly before she tucked it neatly behind a row of kunais. "We've been through this, Sai," she said, a quiet sigh escaping her. "It's unchanged. I won't be stopping the invasion."

There was a short gap before Sai replied – with her back towards him, she couldn't see his face, but she presumed he had probably nodded. "You know it will be difficult. If Orochimaru sees that he is impressed by Sasuke, but fails to bestow the curse mark – it's entirely possible that he will continue to target him even after the second phase."

That was true – and something she and Sai had spent a few moments pondering on. After all, there was a month of time between the second phase and third phase of the Chūnin Exams, where the invasion would occur. Even if she succeeded in her initial trial of protecting Sasuke, it would be a long month. Truthfully told, the sight of Konoha crumbling wasn't quite one she wanted to see again, but-

"We can't afford to give up Sand," Sakura finally said. "We all know what an asset they were to us. To Naruto." She pursed her lips. "We can't afford to give up _Gaara_." As time progressed, the scale of the enemies they would face would also increase – the cooperation of another major hidden village could be crucial. "And as much as I wish otherwise, I think it might be near-impossible to gain his friendship before the invasion without giving any knowledge away."

 _And Tsunade-shishō_ , Sakura thought grimly. That was another thing to be consider. She didn't have anything against the Third – in fact, knew those who were loyal and grieved at the loss of the man – but the Leaf she knew and loved was under the rule of the blonde woman. Even if, Sakura thought, even if she had told her-

 _When you arrive, do not seek me out. And if I become Hokage yet again, do not approach me. I will not be your mentor again._

As if to get rid of stray thoughts, Sakura shook her head. "Besides," she shrugged. "I strongly doubt Leaf would have an ironclad defence against Orochimaru. Damage is inevitable. We'll just be out of our area of expertise while it happens."

"There's no guarantee things will go the same way this time," Sai said, ever the voice of optimism. "Things may become worse."

"Sure," she replied, trying to keep her tone light. "But things can _always_ get worse. That's why we have to focus on what can get _better_."

There was silence for a long moment, where Sai pushed off of her bed, and moved towards her window. Against the bright sun streaming in, his shadow was long and reached her fingers.

"It's unlike you to be so somber," Sakura joked, exhaling a huff of laughter. When he didn't reply, Sakura turned, brows slanting as she took in the look on Sai's face. Putting her shurikens down, she stood, reaching out and placing a hand on his head. It always took her off guard how easy it was to match his eye-level – after all, unlike Naruto or Sasuke, she had never seen Sai at this age, and it seemed that unconsciously, she had always considered him as bigger than her. "Sai," she said, tugging at a strand of his hair. "Really."

"I'm not worried," he finally said. "I simply…I wish that I…" Trailing off, he pursed his lips, and a bubble of anxiety pushed against her insides. Sakura thought she knew what he wanted to say – but the reality of the matter was that Sai was a Root, and leaving on a mission tomorrow afternoon. "I should be able to slip the scrolls at your house tomorrow when I set out," Sai continued after a pause. "But I wanted to give this to you in person."

He gestured for her hand, and when she offered it, placed a stone in her palm. Dark, jagged but with sleek surfaces and of considerable size. "It's black jade," he said when she looked at him questioningly, voice low. "It's supposed to be…a stone for protection."

Then Sai's hand started to move away and out of pure instinct Sakura grabbed it, wrapping her fingers around his. Taken aback, he blinked at her, but she didn't let go, even if the stone between their hands was too big and digging painfully into her flesh.

Sai's skin was paler than hers; always had been. It made her only want to grip onto his hand harder. "Thank you," she said quietly.

He stared at their interlinked hands with a difficult expression to read, until he finally dropped his head, and nodded.

"Did you buy this?"

He shook his head. "I acquired it on a mission. Before, I'd just thrown it away, but…"

Letting go of his hand, Sakura nodded, the feeling in her chest warm, heavy and choking.

 _Do you think one day I could be friends with them again? Naruto, Kakashi, the rest of the Rookies_ _…_ _Sasuke._

She gave the stone a long look, then, and moving towards her coffee table, folded her tablecloth multiple times over its edge, before placing it onto the makeshift cushion. The she raised a senbon over it, and when Sai looked at her in alarm, gave him a small smile. "Trust me."

And she carefully pushed the tip of the needle into the stone, feeling more certain when it didn't shatter, but only sort of _slid_ apart along the cracks it created. Taking the one larger than others, she split that one, too – in half, making five in total – before reaching towards her drawers, and taking out a bundle of strings, and clattering down onto the floor along with it, a cascade of chains, hooks, beads. The remnants from her childhood. Sakura hadn't thought she'd ever touch them again.

Then, as Sai sat before her, legs crossed and clearly confused, she took a fragment between her fingers and wound the top of it with a thin leather twine, looping it tight until it hung securely – and out of the corner of her eyes saw Sai's expression slowly change as he comprehended her actions. For a fleeting moment Sakura wondered if she had thought wrong, if he would be hurt, or offended – but then she raised her head to meet his eyes fully and she froze, had to hurriedly duck her head again. But Sai's expression – raw and fond and thankful and- _too sad_ , _too sad_ – continued to blaze in her mind and-

They remained in silence after that, her fingers working swiftly at her lap, Sai's black eyes ceaselessly chasing her hands. She gave the first one done to Sai; motioned him to move closer, reached over, and tied it around his neck. Sakura couldn't quite look him in the eyes as she fumbled with the knot, but she could feel the pulsating heat radiating off of his form, and _don't worry. Don't worry. I'll save you from Root. No matter what it takes._

When she spoke, her voice came out thick. "We could _all_ do with some protection," Sakura whispered. "Team 7 protects each other."

* * *

Kakashi spent the last day before the exams simply running them through their specialty jutsus – Naruto with his shadow clones and his newfound love for kibakufudas after his success with them the day prior, Sasuke with his fire and Sharingan, though Kakashi didn't let him leave it activated for long. Though the tension was there if one _looked_ for it – but Naruto and Kakashi were never one to keep the mood too solemn, the blond too optimistic for it and the jōnin too careless for it, and so they trained, as usual, bid each other farewell at sunset, as usual, and returned home, as usual. The normalcy had been drawn – Sakura suspected no one wanted to disrupt it, and so neither did she, though she had considered visiting Kakashi before night well and truly fell. She had been forced to decide against it when the silver-haired jōnin had made himself quickly scarce after dismissing them – almost _too_ quickly it was almost strange – that Sakura hadn't even had time to properly bid him a good night before he was bounding across the trees.

But she had worse things to worry about – and before she knew it Sakura was heading towards Team 7's meeting place, the morning weather painfully, bitterly perfect as if to commemorate the opening of the Chūnin Exams. When she arrived at the bridge, Sasuke was already there, leaning against the railings and spinning a kunai between his fingers. Naruto was nowhere to be seen, as was Kakashi, but somehow the sheer familiarity of the scene put her slightly at ease. For both training and missions Sasuke was usually the first to arrive, and Sakura second, though she occasionally beat him to it when her morning training ended early – and then Naruto, always running towards them with his arms flailing five minutes late, then Kakashi, approximately three hours after that. Still, she couldn't quite help the weight that pressed down on her shoulders, steps heavy-

"Sasuke," she called out. "Good morning."

Sasuke looked up, smoothly slipping his kunai inside his pouch. "Sakura." Then, with a slight frown, "You're early."

"You're _earlier_ ," Sakura pointed out, and he shrugged. She had forgone her usual morning training to preserve her chakra, left her home fifteen minutes or so earlier than usual – her mother hadn't responded to her _I'm leaving_ – and yet Sasuke had _still_ been waiting at the bridge before her. She supposed it was understandable – the prospect of a promotion, fighting ninja from all across the Fire Country, an opportunity to grow stronger – how could the exams _not_ weigh on him? As if to press the ball of apprehension back down, Sakura felt herself swallow, eyes dropping down.

"Nervous?"

Her gaze snapped from Sasuke's fingers, which almost seemed _lost_ after putting the kunai away – back up to his face. Her first instinct was to laugh, to scoff, let his question slide off of her – _Please, why would I be? –_ but the look in his eyes was oddly serious and Sakura pursed her lips, fixing her gaze at a pale spot on Sasuke's neck. "Maybe a little," she admitted.

There was a small pause where she could feel his stare moving on her form, a quiet sigh, and then- "You shouldn't be."

Sakura tried not to take his words as a criticism, a condemnation of her flawed composure. "Yeah? And why's that?"

Shifting, Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "Because," he said, voice clipped, "the Dobe and I will be there."

Eyes widening, Sakura sent him an incredulous look – and Sasuke scowled, annoyance and discomfort plastered all over his face as if he had hated saying the words even as he had.

"You-" she started instinctively, then broke off, a small laugh escaping her. _How very…unlike Sasuke._ Placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head high, Sakura smirked. "Really now? My expectations are high, Sasuke." The corners of her lips tugged higher when Sasuke let out a scoff.

"Which reminds me," Sakura continued, rummaging through her pouch. "I have something for you." When her fingers threaded through a thin string, she wordlessly extended her hand towards him. A small stone of black jade followed, dangling from her thumb by an equally black twine.

He eyed it questioningly. "What's this?"

"A gift," Sakura declared, and swung it in his direction. Sasuke caught it effortlessly, the dark surface of it contrasting starkly against the pale skin of his hand as his brows furrowed at it.

"Black jade," he recognised. "Why are you giving this to me?"

"A wish for protection," she replied, smiling lightly when he gave her a strange glance. "I have one, too. And also-" She extended her other hand, revealing two more similar pendants hanging from her fingers. "For Naruto, and Kakashi, too." Meeting his bemused gaze, she grinned. "What do you say? Think of it as a talisman, of sorts."

When Sasuke didn't respond, his fingers around the charm and expression unreadable, Sakura tried to stamp down the beginnings of disappointment that threatened to unfurl in her gut. "I mean," she shook her head, "if you don't like it-" Sakura stopped short as Sasuke wordlessly raised it to his mouth, tore the existing knot with his teeth, and re-tied the string more loosely around his neck. It fit snugly inside his collar, completely hidden from view, but something about the sight of the black stone disappearing beneath his shirt had made Sakura's mouth go oddly dry.

At her expression, Sasuke frowned. "What?" He said. "Wasn't this what you wanted me to do?"

"Huh?" She startled, then, shook her head fervently. "No, it was! I mean, yes, I did want you to wear it. I just didn't think that…you know," she mumbled, hopelessly wringing her hands. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and she looked away, a thick, strange feeling settling in her chest. "I just didn't think you'd actually wear it, is all."

There was a pause, and Sakura slowly lifted her eyes towards him to see Sasuke's hand at his neck, thumbing the leather string of the charm while he stared uncomfortably at a spot in the air. "Why not?" He asked finally.

The question was short, simple, and robbed her of words like nothing else. Why? Sakura thought. Because you're Sasuke. Because you don't like these kind of things. Because before you would never have accepted something like this, because before you hated sentimentality and before, before, before- Before. Tipping her head, and with no little affection threading her voice, she simply replied, "No reason."

Sasuke frowned, but his next words were interrupted by a shout, and she turned to see Naruto, arms expectedly flailing as he sped towards them. "Sakura-chan! Sasuke!" He skid to a stop before them, grabbing at Sakura's shoulders as a brake. "Sorry! Sorry I'm late! I sort of forgot to pack yesterday, so-"

"Really, Naruto," Kakashi said from behind the blond, appearing in a swirl of leaves. "Arriving not even five minutes before me? Shame on you."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, thoroughly impressed. "You're early today."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I told him we're meeting at seven." He gave Kakashi a pointed look, "It's nine now."

"Dear me," Kakashi grimaced, rubbing at his neck. "I had a feeling seven was much too early. Don't use that head on things like this, Sasuke."

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto suddenly said, letting go of her. He was looking down at Sakura's hand – having noticed the jade dangling from her fingertips. "What're those for?"

"Oh, right! Here," Placing one into Naruto's hand, and the other in Kakashi's, the black pooling in their hands, Sakura smiled. "Talismans. Sasuke and I have it, too." _And Sai-_ But she had to swallow back the words, and Sakura settled on taking hers out from underneath the collar of her sleeveless qipao shirt, and flashing it at the blond.

Surprised, Naruto whipped his head towards Sasuke – to which the black-haired boy promptly turned away, crossing his arms. But the lack of denial was a clear affirmative, and Naruto's eyes darted repeatedly between Sasuke, Kakashi, and herself. "For us?" He asked. " _Just_ us?"

"Yep." Sakura grinned. "Limited edition, Team 7 style."

"Team 7 sty-" But his voice hit a note, and breaking off, the blond had to clear his throat, staring down at his palm. But unlike Sasuke, this time Sakura thought she knew the reason why – the look on his face reminded her of the expression he had made when he first received his hitai-ate – a symbol of _belonging_. Just as Sakura felt her gaze soften, Naruto raised his head with a grin, one of those that split his face right across in half. "That's," he started excitedly, and his voice rose a few pitches, "wicked, Sakura-chan! It's totally cool – and black, too – hella badass! I say-"

While Kakashi still had his in the palm of his hand, face impassive. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei. It's not going to eat you."

He looked at her with a frown. "That's not what I was thinking."

"Uh-huh."

Still, watching Naruto eagerly slip his head through the loop and Kakashi tuck it carefully in his pouch, Sakura remembered Sai, standing by her window with a unsteady smile- _I suppose I can be with them this way, Sakura._

She cleared her throat. "We, uh, should go now. Or we'll be late."

Sasuke nodded. "It's time."

"Alright!" Naruto leapt into the air. "I feel at least a thousand times stronger now! Up and ready to beat the hell out of everyone!"

Sakura laughed while Kakashi waved them away with their hands. "Get going, then."

Giving Kakashi one final nod, they turned away, moving off the bridge and onto the footpath while Naruto and Sasuke bickered on her left. "Put the stone inside your collar, dobe. It's _flailing_."

"What- but people won't be able to see it!"

"Neither will you when you jump and it hits you in the face."

They were only a few feet away when Kakashi's voice reached them again, low and casual though Sakura could hear the time Kakashi must have struggled with the words, trying to get them out before they were truly out of reach. "Walk tall, Team 7."

And Naruto spun, wildly waving both of his arms in the air at the jōnin with a bright grin, Sakura turned her head just so that he could see her smile, and Sasuke raised a hand in acknowledgment as the trio made their way towards the exam centre.

* * *

It wasn't too difficult to get to where they needed to this time around – Sasuke identifying the genjutsu with ease, Naruto's loud determination blowing away the ninja who tried to discourage them at the entrance. They inevitably ran into Team 9 again – but having already sparred, Lee didn't challenge Sasuke, only shouting out a greeting at the boys and a love confession for her while Tenten waved brightly. Neji passed them without acknowledgement, but she had seen him lock eyes with Sasuke for a second – sparks flying – she supposed he was still wary of Sasuke, and understandably so. The only strange thing was the time that Lee spent actually staring at Naruto – looking almost reluctantly away when Tenten pulled him along.

Nonetheless, when they arrived at the hall, the magnitude of the people present and the awful familiarity of it all knocked those thoughts away, and Sakura let out a slow breath, trying not to tense. Knowing she would face the Chūnin Exams again was one thing – actually _reliving_ it was another.

"There's so many people," Naruto said, awed. It _was_ a sight – after all, it was rare to shinobi from all sorts of villages together at one place. "Like, at least a hundred!"

Sakura ran her eyes across the crowd, scanning their headbands. _Sand. Rain. …Sound_ , she noted solemnly. _But I can't find Kabuto._ Narrowing her eyes, she started re-skimming through the horde of shinobi. If she remembered correctly, Orochimaru had disguised himself as a ninja from Grass-

"Eh? Hinata!"

At Naruto's voice, Sakura turned, and true to his word, a few feet away to their right Hinata stood frozen in step, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"It _is_ Hinata!" Naruto exclaimed, waving her over enthusiastically. "Over here!"

Face immediately going red at the sight of the blond, Hinata's eyes darted around as if searching for a escape route before hesitantly approaching them. "N-N-N-Naruto-kun," she said, voice trembling and determinedly staring at Naruto's shoulder instead of his face. "And Sakura-san. Sasuke-kun."

"Hey, Hinata-chan," Sakura greeted, grin widening when Hinata shyly returned her smile. Truth be told, they had never been so close during their genin years – not until Sasuke left the village and the girls became closer with the years – but Hinata had always been nothing but utterly kind and polite towards her. At first glance, it had been quite strange – to think there was a girl who could look at Sasuke with zero feelings while fainting at the slightest brush with Naruto's hands – but through time Hinata's love for Naruto had nothing but shone bright, staying by the blond's side utterly steadfast and tender. And for that, Sakura had always been thankful.

"So, um," Naruto said, bobbing on the soles of his feet. "Ready for the exams?"

Hinata seemed ready to pass out at the fact that the blond was attempting to carry a conversation with her, stammering. "M-me? Oh, no – th-there's so many people who are st-stronger than me, and-"

Naruto grinned. "But you'll do your best, right?"

 _That's a killer smile right there_ , Sakura thought dryly as Hinata's blush took up a notch. Beside her, Sasuke was watching the exchange as if he had never witnessed a human interaction more pathetic.

"Y-yes!"

"Good, good," Naruto said distractedly, hand rising to rub at her neck. It was clear he had something else on mind, and showed itself when he asked, "So, umm, have you seen Neji?"

 _Really?_ Frowning, she quietly hissed under her neath, "Naruto!"

 _Don't worry_ , Naruto mouthed back, which worried Sakura more.

Hinata looked startled, pale eyes widening. "Ne-Neji nii-san?" Glancing around at her surroundings as if she expected the brown-haired boy to leap out from the crowds at any time, she shook her head. "We- we didn't come together. He's probably with- with his team."

"I see, I see," Naruto nodded, looking deeply engrossed. "Hm. Ergo! _Well_ _,_ then, Hinata…How's Neji been?" Beside him, Sakura resisted the urge to bury her face into her hands.

"E-eh?"

"He hasn't been, like, trying to hurt you or anything? Or maybe he's been, like, roaming the outside of your room a l- _Youch_!"

"So! Hinata-chan," Sakura interrupted, driving her elbow up Naruto's ribs and sending the blond doubling over. "Where's Kiba and Shino?"

Behind her, Sasuke had placed his hand over the blond's shoulder in a death-grip, very quietly muttering between clenched teeth, "Stop. Talking. Now."

"O-oh, right," Hinata said, eyeing Naruto worriedly, clearly confused. "We actually got se-separated – they should be nearby-"

"Hey, if it isn't Team 7!" As if called on, Kiba emerged from the crowd behind Hinata, slinging an arm across the Hyūga heiress' shoulders while Akamaru barked at them in greeting. "What're you doin' ditching us, Hinata?" He said slyly. "Chatting Naruto up, eh?"

"Ki-Kiba-kun! P-Please!"

Laughing heartily, Kiba turned, shouting over his shoulder. "Oi, Shino! She's here!" When the insect-specialist materialised beside them, Kiba gave them a nod. "Long time no see, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura."

Then from the side, a slow, unimpressed drawl, "You guys were all here?"

"Shikamaru!" Kiba exclaimed as the Nara raised a hand in greeting, yawning widely while the rest of Team 10 waved behind him. "Ino, Chouji, too-" He barked out a laughter, moving aside to make space to fit Team 10 in the circle. "All of the Konoha Nine, huh?"

"Ino!" Sakura grinned, shuffling over to squeeze her in. No matter how the blonde might act, _she_ still hadn't given up in repairing their friendship. Her loud, catty presence had been invaluable to her in the past – Ino's spunk only growing in intensity even as the world began to fall around them. It had made Sakura face the oncoming war with an attitude of her own – gloom and despair be damned.

She wasn't even deterred when Ino only pulled a face at her focusing on Sasuke with a flirty smile. " _Hey_ , Sasuke-kun," Ino purred, though Sasuke promptly ignored her.

"Man, there's so many _people_ here," Shikamaru drawled, hands stuffed in his pockets. "So troublesome."

"Still, it's good to see you guys," Chouji smiled before turning back to his bag of potato chips. "What'd you suppose they'll make us do?"

"Probably toss us in a cage or somethin' and force us to fight to death," Kiba replied, baring his teeth. "Not that I can't handle it. Eh, Akamaru?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "T-to death?"

"Have you _seen_ some of these guys, though?" Shikamaru muttered. "Some of them don't even look human."

"That's the whole purpose of the exams, man!" Kiba insisted. "The battles! The adrenaline!"

"Yeah!" Naruto joined in, pumping his fist into the air. "To fight strong people and kick their _asses_ -"

"Maybe you guys should be a little quieter," a voice said from behind her, and Sakura turned, coming face-to-face with a konoha hitai-ate, familiar ash-grey hair, eyes slanted kindly behind rimmed spectacles, and feeling something distinctly _stop_ inside her-

Years into the past or not, recognition flared cold and right through her limbs.

"It _is_ a public place," Kabuto said, the tilt of his head politely amused.

Exhaling slowly, she tried to control the disgust that ran up her back.

Naruto squinted. "And who're you?"

"Yakushi Kabuto," he smiled, and Sakura had to look away, her fists clenching at her sides. She had known she would meet him, but she hadn't anticipated how hard it would be to _not_ bury her fist in his face the moment she did. _Don't lose it, Sakura. Not now._ Schooling her features into one of indifference, she stood a little straighter, the slant of her chin slightly higher.

"What'd you want?" Kiba asked, scowling.

"Just to give little bit of advice," Kabuto said, continuing to smile, the epitome of a helpful stranger. Sakura almost wanted to marvel at his acting ability. "The level of volume here seems to be irking the surrounding shinobi, you see. You guys sound very confident and all, but this is the Chūnin Exams-" he spread his arms, "Most likely the individuals here are all elites from their own villages. After all – this is my fourth year attempting them."

" _Fourth_ year?" Ino repeated incredulously.

"So the rumours about them being incredibly hard were true." Shikamaru made a sound of exasperation. "I knew this was going to be troublesome."

"Or," Sakura raised an eyebrow. "He's just an incredibly bad ninja."

Kabuto brushed her off with a laugh. "Please," he said. "I may not be the strongest, but I do possess considerable abilities of my own. One of which," he adjusted his glasses, "-happens to be collecting intelligence." Taking out bundle of cards from his pocket, he flashed a couple at them. "These cards are chakra-encoded with the information that I have collected over two hundred shinobi over the past four years. If there is anyone you would like to know about – _anyone_ – I may be able to help you."

"Anyone?" Sasuke spoke up, eyes narrowed, while Naruto and the rest of the genin eagerly leaned forward, eyeing his cards curiously. Sakura scowled. Kabuto sure knew how to tempt people – to anyone, especially first-timer genin like them – an offer for information was priceless.

This time when Kabuto smiled, Sakura thought she saw a serpent-like edge to it. "Of course."

"Really?" Sakura stepped in. "And do these _cards_ contain information about us, too?"

"They do," Kabuto replied, though he seemed a little irked at being interrupted.

"But this is the first time we're participating in the exams," she said, placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "How did you gain so much information about us? Did you perhaps…stalk us?"

"What?" Naruto made a face. "That's not cool, man."

Looking taken aback, Kabuto shook his head. "No, that is not what I meant. I-"

"Sakura's right," Shikamaru frowned, and Sakura inwardly smirked. _Trust a Nara to back me up._ An irresistible bait, to be sure, to the nervous genin – but unwrap a layer and Kabuto's behaviour was full of holes. "How do we know we can trust you?"

"Please," Kabuto raised his hands placatingly. "As fellow Leaf shinobi, I'm just trying to help you kids out-"

"No shinobi helps strangers out for _free_ ," Kiba jerked his chin towards Kabuto's cards. "And villages don't mean nothing once the exams start."

"And how do we know," Sakura continued, brows innocently furrowed. "That you're not tricking us? What if you're selling us false information?" Her words turned sharp. "Or giving _others_ our information?"

"I understand your concerns," Kabuto said, his voice taking on a gentle, persuasive tone – truly, Sakura thought, an assistant of a Snake. "But I assure you, I only have the purest of intentions. If you want me to prove my faith-"

"No," Sasuke finally cut in, having watched the grey-haired shinobi with his lips pursed. "We're not interested."

The rest of the Rookies nodded – though some did look reluctant in turning down the offer, it was true the risk outweighed the benefits, and Naruto gave him a solid _humph_ , putting an arm around Sakura's shoulders – and before Kabuto could protest, began to turn away. " _Sorry_ ," Sakura gave him a faux smile. "But I think we'll manage by ourselves."

* * *

"I actually saw him reporting," Sakura muttered darkly to Naruto and Sasuke while they followed Ibiki into the written examination room. "To a Grass ninja." Of course, she _hadn't_ , but Sakura had no doubt that it was true – both in the past and present, Kabuto must have deliberately approached them in order to feed information to Orochimaru.

"That Kabuto guy?" Naruto exclaimed loudly, before getting shushed by Sakura.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You mean he's a spy?"

Sakura nodded. "He's probably feeding them information about our abilities. Best not show anything around him. Better yet, just let's just not stay near him."

To her relief, Sasuke nodded.

* * *

Sitting at the desk and leaning her chin into the palm of her hand, Sakura tapped her pencil against the exam paper. Knowing the trick to pass Ibiki's exam lay in the tenth question, there was no real value to answering the questions. A look to the front had shown Naruto whispering to Hinata with a torn expression on his face – _to cheat, or not to cheat_? – while a glance to her left had shown Sasuke doing a fine job copying with his Sharingan. Turning back to her own test paper, Sakura spun the pencil through her fingers. _Do they even mark these?_

 _Probably not_ , Sakura concluded. After all, there wasn't a point. Twirling the pencil a few more times, Sakura took the chance to subtly scan through her surroundings. While the participants were mandated to sit separately from their teammates, they were not assigned any seats, and she had opted for the back half of the room – that from her position she could see just about everyone except the few on the row behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Gaara, back straight and the sand faint around him, and the rest of the Rookie Nine scattered across the room except Kiba who sat on the very last row – when there was a flash of grey to her right, and her gaze slid over – right into Kabuto's dark eyes. Her own eyes must have widened; Kabuto's lips curved in amusement, tilting his head in a silent greeting.

Sakura quickly looked back down, a dash of panic shooting through her. _What? Why is he here?_ Had Kabuto also taken the first examination so near her in the past? Or perhaps he had sat there all along? At the very least – Sakura was sure that he hadn't caught her eyes and _smiled_ at her before.

Slightly raising her head, she peeked to her left again – this time to see Kabuto deeply absorbed in his test paper, apparently intent on answering the questions. A facade, to be sure – for his level of shinobi, the questions would be almost damningly easy.

She felt herself swallow. There was one reason and one reason only why he would take care to sit so closely to her – only two seats across – and to have been _looking_ at her, at that.

To any genin with reasonable intelligence, the hidden purpose behind this exam was obvious.

Also to any genin with reasonable intelligence, Ibiki's nine questions were practically impossible to solve.

He wanted to see how she would cheat.

Sakura's test paper remained blank until the end of the exam.

* * *

When she exited the restroom following the first phase – Naruto's loud _I won't give up, believe it!_ inciting a slight smirk from Sasuke and a proud smile from her – Kabuto was waiting for her a few steps away, leaning against a wall and staring at something in his hand.

 _Oh, for God's sakes._ Pretending not to have seen him, Sakura tried to walk right past – she shouldn't have told Naruto and Sasuke to go ahead without her – when Kabuto raised his head at the last second, and skid into her way, stopping her. "Hello," Kabuto said. "Sakura-san, was it? Can we talk?"

 _That smile again_ , Sakura thought with a scowl. Trying to keep in the waves of revulsion that threatened to break out at his proximity, Sakura kept her tone cordial as she asked, "Had I shared my name?"

His smile widened as if she had told him a very funny joke. "Oh, I wasn't lying about having information, you see."

Sakura could think of a couple of scathing replies – but held her tongue. Kabuto's presence in Team 7's examination hall _and_ being in front of her now meant that she had somehow caught his attention. She had wanted to stop her team from befriending him, but that didn't mean she wanted to go triggering off his radars, either. After all, Kabuto was strong, loathe she admit it – and as a medical-oriented shinobi, if Sakura was honest, not an opponent she wished to go head-to-head with her current body. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I just think we've started on a wrong foot, you see," he said."It was never my intention to give you and your friends the wrong idea."

 _He still hasn't given up on this befriending business_ , Sakura realised. Crossing her arms, she shook her head. "I think we've got the perfectly right idea, thanks."

Kabuto frowned. "You must understand-"

"Look," Sakura cut him off. "I'm sorry, but my teammates are waiting for me. I need to go." Sidestepping, she brushed past him, when Kabuto turned, reaching out towards her.

"No, I-"

"For youth, and Sakura- _saaaaaaan_!"

At the sudden shout, both of them froze, Sakura's eyes widening when she saw Lee on her left, dashing at full power towards her. " _Lee_?" Sakura exclaimed in disbelief, and before she knew it the spandex-clad boy had wedged himself between her and Kabuto, pulling her behind his back and staring unhappily at the medic-nin, who seemed dumbfounded at Lee's entrance. "Is he bothering you, Sakura-san?"

Sakura blinked. "Uh-"

Taking in Lee's hitai-ate and resolute expression, Kabuto raised his hands placatingly. "Of course not," he began to say, "I only wanted to-"

"Oh, come on, I heard her saying no!" Tenten growled, appearing behind her in tow with Neji, a disapproving look in her eyes. "Leave Sakura alone!"

As Tenten joined Lee before Sakura with a glower, Kabuto seemed to want to protest, before apparently coming to a decision of some sort. Pursing his lips, his arms fell back at his sides. "It seems this is not a good time," he said, clearly displeased with how the situation had turned out. "Maybe next time, Sakura-san." With a tip of his head, Kabuto turned, and walked away.

"Sakura-san!" Lee whirled towards her when Kabuto disappeared around a corner, eyes wide. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Sakura said, waving a hand dismissively. At Tenten and Lee's concerned expressions, she smiled. "Thanks, though."

"What did he want, anyway?" Tenten asked, brows furrowing.

Sakura shrugged. "He wanted to befriend our team before. Seems like he got irked when we turned him down."

"He was waiting in front of _there_?" Tenten gasped, pointing at the sign above them, painted _Women's Restroom_ , apparently just having noticed where they were. "Sheesh, what a creep!"

"Well, it was actually the wall off to the side, but-" Taking in the brunette's disgusted expression, Sakura broke off. _No point defending the reputation of the enemy._ "I totally agree," Sakura said, nodding sagely.

"Do not worry, Sakura-san!" Lee exclaimed, kneeling beside her again, his hands wrapped around hers before she knew it. "As I pledged before, I will protect you from anything, let it be creeps, or-"

"If he bothers you again, just let us know, okay?" Tenten cut him off, pushing Lee aside. "We'll be happy to help." Turning, she nudged the brown-haired boy beside her. "Right, Neji?"

Neji gave Tenten a _look –_ something like, _don't bring me into this –_ before letting out a quiet sigh. When his pale eyes met hers, what came out of his mouth instead was, "Watch yourself, Haruno."

Taken aback, Sakura had to pause for a second before replying, her eyebrows rising. It wasn't spoken kindly, if not rather curtly – but it was clear her show of swinging Lee around in their last spar had at least deemed her worthy of an address in Neji's eyes. "Of course, Hyūga," she said gravely, mimicking his tone and causing Tenten to grin.

After regarding her for a few moments, Neji nodded crisply before turning on his feet, and striding away.

"Wait, Neji!" Tenten startled. "Where are you going? Sorry, Sakura- I'll see you later. Good luck for the next exam!"

With a quick, "You, too," Sakura shooed her off, and Tenten shot her an apologetic smile before darting off after Neji.

"Best of luck to you and your team, Sakura-san," Lee gave her a thumbs up, and a brilliant grin. "We'll meet soon!" Ready to also chase after them, Lee turned – when after a short moment of deliberation she caught his wrist, pulling him back.

"Wait, Lee," Sakura said, and surprised, he looked at her expectantly. "Watch out for that guy," she muttered, "He's a spy for a Grass ninja."

His thick brows slanted in confusion. "But his headband-" Lee started to say, before taking in her expression and firmly nodding. "Okay, Sakura-san." He saluted. "Don't worry about us!"

Satisfied, Sakura let go of his arm and stepped back, gesturing for him to go when Tenten's yell reached them, "Lee! Don't bother Sakura and hurry up!"

"I'm going, Tenten!" Lee shouted back, cupping his hands over his mouth before taking off. "Next time, Sakura-san!"

"Bye, Lee," she laughed.

And she watched them go, Tenten lightly punching Lee in the shoulder, and Lee holding his fist up excitedly – all the while Neji rolled his eyes, though he slowed his pace to match his teammates.

At times like this, it didn't seem likely that Neji was the type of boy who would to try kill a meek-souled being like Hinata.

Then again, Sakura thought, making her way towards the entrance, she had never thought Sasuke would descend in such darkness in the past, either.

* * *

"Sakura-chan!" The blond called out when Sakura appeared around the corner leading to the doors. "You took _so_ long – I'm starving!"

"Sorry, sorry," Sakura said, running to close the distance between them. "I got cornered by Kabuto on the way back." She made a face. "He was waiting for me."

"In front of the _bathroom_?" Naruto said incredulously. He wrapped his arms scandalously around himself. "What a pervert!"

"What did he say?" Sasuke asked, brows furrowing.

Sakura shrugged. "Wanted to apologise for earlier, or something like that."

Sasuke scowled. "I thought you said he was a spy."

"Must be a pretty desperate spy," Sakura said, grimacing. "Maybe he thought he could easily get past me since I'm a girl."

Exiting the examination centre and heading down towards the restaurant district, Naruto gave a loud snort. "Past you? Yeah, right!" He shook his head. "Next time we see him, I'm going to give him a piece of our mind," he grumbled. "Stalking our Sakura-chan! Waiting in front of the bathroom – the nerve! Seriously, that-"

* * *

It was long past evening when Sakura turned into the street that led to her house after bidding Naruto and Sasuke farewell at Ichiraku's – really, the depths of the blond's stomach never failed to impress – where she saw Kakashi, loitering at a bench with a streetlight overhead a few metres away. He had his novel out, shoulders leaning against the pole and silver hair alight under the yellow light.

Sakura squinted. The streets of the housing district was an odd place to see someone lounging around at this time. She scanned her surroundings for any hidden chakra signatures, calling out when she found the area deserted. "Kakashi-sensei?"

At her voice, Kakashi raised his head. "Sakura."

"What are you doing here?" She asked, stopping before him with a frown.

Closing his book shut, he pushed himself off the streetlight before tucking it away in his pouch. "Just wanted to congratulate my student for passing the first phase of the Chūnin Exams," he said. Then, with his characteristic eye-crinkle, "Congratulations."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. There was no way that Kakashi would have come all the way to her house just to do something sentimental like _congratulating_ her.

"Ouch," Kakashi said when she told him just that. "Is that the kind of impression you have of me?"

Sakura made an amused sound. "That's the you I _know_ , Kakashi-sensei. Anyway," Moving around him towards the bench, Sakura seated herself down, and patted the spot beside her. "Sit down. You've come here to talk to me, right?"

Following her obediently, Kakashi did as he was told. "I'm here," he said, shaking his head. "for you to talk to me."

She blinked, then- _Alright. I'll put you through the Chūnin Exams. But I want to see you regularly._ "I see," Sakura nodded. "It's time for my regular reporting session, is it?"

Kakashi shrugged.

"I'm more surprised you didn't go to the Hokage-sama for it," Sakura said honestly. "You let me have time. Time to sort myself out before the Chūnin Exams. Even when I told you about…" She trailed off, biting her lip and taking a moment before continuing, "Sasuke."

Having revealed their existence to Kakashi – she and Sai had discussed the silver-haired jōnin's position in their plans multiple times. It had been impossible to come up with a foolproof answer – they needed information about the sporadic visions people seemed to be randomly getting – but now that Kakashi was involved they knew they couldn't expect him to sit still and twiddle his thumbs, either.

Having a helper in the higher ranks of Konoha would be incredibly beneficial to them – but for them to trust the jōnin irrevocably, _he_ also needed to trust them unfailingly. And as far as she was aware, Kakashi had turned down their offer to show him the future by genjutsu. If she was completely frank, Sakura wasn't yet quite sure where he stood – in the end, she had decided to wait and see what Kakashi would piece together.

Leaning forward, Kakashi rested his elbows on his knees. "I did some research," he said. "No information could be found on the existence of a time-travelling jutsu. Nothing." He gave her a look. "Not even a _speculation_."

Brows furrowing, Sakura crossed her arms. "That means it's either out of your clearance, or…"

"Deleted," Kakashi agreed. "Intentionally removed."

Sakura pursed her lips. She had also never heard of even an _inkling_ of a time-travelling jutsu in her past – hadn't even _imagined_ it, honestly – and even if it _was_ strictly classified information, she couldn't imagine those such as Uchiha Madara or Obito not attempting to get their hands on it- She had tried to pressure Tsunade multiple times into telling her the jutsu's source, but the blonde woman had been exceedingly stubborn on the matter. Sakura had been forced to conclude it was hers, and her own creation. "Is that tipping your trust-scale in our side, or against it?"

He slid his eyes towards her, then back to the space in front of him. "I didn't _let you have time_." Kakashi said, addressing her earlier words. "I simply didn't have enough evidence to go to Hokage-sama."

"A genin who learned medical-ninjutsu and superhuman strength overnight isn't enough?" she asked quietly.

"There have been geniuses far more skilled than you at your age in the past."

Sakura hummed thoughtfully. "Are you making excuses for me, or yourself, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi remained silent, and with a slight smile, Sakura drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around them. _He must have thought over it a lot_ , Sakura considered. The fact that he hadn't gone to the Hokage, but mulled it over himself, and now was sitting beside her spoke volumes. _Although_ , she wondered, _he was a lot more cautious before._ _What made him trust me more? Did something happen?_

Sakura tugged at her hair. It was tiring – _too_ tiring – all this guesswork of another's feelings. All the secrecy. "Do you know what I'm trying to change, Kakashi-sensei?"

"If you're to be believed," Kakashi said, voice low. "Sasuke's defection, I'm assuming. It's implausible to think he would seek Orochimaru out for himself. _He_ must have visited Sasuke first."

Sakura nodded.

"At any other times, entry of foreign ninja into Konoha is strictly regulated. On missions, I will be accompanying Sasuke. Therefore it stands to stay that the Chūnin Exams is the only medium of contact until then."

She nodded again.

"And so it narrows down to the _participants_. Either Orochimaru, or an accomplice is likely to have disguised themselves as one." Kakashi gave Sakura a look, as if expecting her to confirm or deny his theory. "The backgrounds of foreign shinobi are difficult to confirm," he went on when she remained silent. "If you're as smart as they say, you should have known this already – and yet you told me to look over the participants list. Thus it narrows down again." Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Konoha shinobi."

From his pouch, Kakashi took out a paper, folded in quarters if not a little haphazardly, before handing it to her. When she smoothed it open, four faces stared back at her. "Unlikely to be too young," he continued. "Not from your year, nor Gai's students'. Most likely older – hasn't attempted the Chūnin Exams in a few years, and without detailed history of their whereabouts, or acquired Konoha citizenship recently."

The photographs of three males and one female and their brief details made up the list. Running her eyes over Kabuto's face that lay printed at the top of the paper, Sakura had to huff out a laugh, half-impressed, half-frightened as his resourcefulness. _So this was what he was busy doing_ , Sakura thought. _Terribly careless, and terribly astute. He hasn't changed one bit._

"I'd say I'm impressed, Kakashi-sensei," she said. "But I'd expect no less." Knowing Kakashi was watching her, she considered her words carefully.

If she wanted the rest of Chūnin Exams and the invasion to continue, she couldn't let Kakashi know the full story _yet_ – something she had been adamant to Sai about. As prudent and critical the jōnin was, there was no way he would consent to allowing an _attack_ on their village to occur. And if she told him that Orochimaru would target Sasuke in the Forest of Death, and Kakashi _intervened_ , Team 7 would be automatically disqualified. They also couldn't capture Kabuto now, due to a clear lack of evidence. Sakura let out a long breath.

"There is a month between the second phase and the third phase of the Chūnin Exams," Sakura finally said. She tapped a finger against Kabuto's photograph. "This one. He's Orochimaru's assistant. He'll be observing Sasuke in the second phase, and if he finds him impressive, Orochimaru will go after Sasuke in that break."

"And I'm assuming Sasuke was impressive."

Sakura nodded. "And it's likely he will be, this time, too. Which is why as soon as we're out of that forest, Sasuke needs to be guarded, and Kabuto needs to be dealt with. Otherwise Orochimaru will give him a curse seal – one that will allow Sasuke to tap into a power he shouldn't be using, and it'll lead him to Sound." She gave Kakashi a pointed look. From the jōnin's expression, it was clear Kakashi also understood how dangerous the combination of _Sasuke_ and _forbidden power_ would be. "I'll need your help for that month." _And to teach him the Chidori_ , she added inwardly.

With a sigh, Kakashi raised a hand to his temples. "I'm beginning to regret letting you into the Chūnin Exams."

Sakura laughed, one of genuine mirth this time. "Too late, now." After all – as disastrous had Sasuke's curse seal been, not having Gaara, and in turn, Shukaku, and in turn, Sand, on their side was one disaster that they _hadn't_ experienced, but might as well become reality. Still, Sakura had to consciously try to not wonder if this time, she and Naruto could possibly keep Sasuke in Konoha should the former occur.

Kakashi had fallen into a thoughtful silence when a thought passed her, and she asked, "What about you? Have you seen any visions lately?"

He considered the question for a moment, before shaking his head. "No."

"I've actually been thinking about it," Sakura continued. "Do you think maybe it's in our chakra? For example, if it's in direct contact. After all, you started seeing visions of me when I tried to heal you back at the hospital, right?"

Kakashi pursed his lips. "Possible," he allowed. Then, "But it doesn't explain how I saw them with the Root."

Sakura resisted the urge to correct Kakashi's use of _the Root_ in calling Sai. "That's true," she agreed. Was it truly random? The people, the scenes?

"And what are you going to do if it _is_ a chakra issue?"

She gave him a funny look. "What _can_ I do?" Sakura asked. "I can't just stop healing people-" Stopping short, she sighed. As much as she wanted to tackle everything on at once, there simply wasn't any space in her mind for _more_ things, now.

And it was clear Kakashi knew it, too, because he smartly refrained from commenting any further.

Then they fell into silence again, and this time, Kakashi broke it by standing up. "It's getting late," he said, looking down at her. "You should get some rest."

Nodding, Sakura followed suit, the jōnin's stance making it clear that their conversation was over. He had already begun to walk down the narrow street, and Sakura jogged to catch up. "Not going to wish me luck?" She joked.

Because she hadn't been expecting it, Sakura was surprised when Kakashi directly met her eyes, and said, "Good luck."

But before she could reply, Kakashi looked up, her house having come in view. It was his cue to leave, and he raised a hand in farewell. "Come back alive, Sakura," he said. Then- "I don't think you'd want to leave that Root alone. Nor the boys," his eye crinkled, "of course."

* * *

When Sakura returned home, a fresh set of scrolls lay on her bedside table, so did a bundle of thin paper – and above it, a small white crane. When she carefully unfolded it, there was a caricature of a fox, a Sakura tree, and to her surprise, a fan – between the small animal's mouth as it huddled up at the tree's roots.

* * *

When Team 7 assorted at their assigned place before the Forest of Death, Naruto was positively _bobbing_ , while Sasuke stared at him with annoyance smothered all over his features. It was clear that their resounding success in passing the first exam yesterday had done wonders to the blond's confidence, washing any unease that he might have felt away to the high skies.

"Calm _down_ , Dobe," Sasuke scowled. "You're going to get us all killed in there."

"Nah – we're gonna be _fine_!" Naruto replied gleefully. "Remember my epic speech yesterday? 'Bravery and determination. That is the key to being a ninja,'" Naruto said, mimicking Ibiki's deep voice. He cackled. "Too right! With me there, this exam's going to be a breeze!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just when I thought his head couldn't get _bigger._ "

"We are _so_ fine, believe it! These shinobi better watch the hel- _Ow!_ " Grabbing at his head, Naruto whirled, glowering indignantly at the dark-haired boy. "Bastard! Seriously! Would you _stop_ hitting me!"

"Would you stop talking," Sasuke returned, crossing his arms.

As the pair continued to bicker, Sakura looked up from her weapons pouch, closing it shut and tightly fastening it around her waist. Walking towards the chūnin supervisor, she took out a small slip of paper from her pocket, and handed it to him. "Please give this to Mitarashi Anko-san," she said, when the man raised an eyebrow. "I'm Hatake Kakashi's student. He asked me to deliver it to her this morning," she smiled sheepishly, "but I forgot to. With the exam and all. Please?"

When the chūnin sighed in exasperation but put the note in his pocket, Sakura gave him her best, thousand-watt smile. "Thank you!"

She didn't wait for his reply before making her way back to Naruto and Sasuke, the pair not having noticed the exchange amidst their heated argument. "Now, now," Sakura said, grabbing them both by their shoulders. "Direct that heat somewhere else! Like to the enemy, preferably."

"He started it," Naruto pouted, though without any real malice. When Sakura cracked a smile at Sasuke's responding harrumph, the blond also broke out in a grin.

Then the clock above them hit nine, and the gates before them opened with a solid click. Pushing it open, their supervisor gestured towards the forest. "Team 7, you may enter."

"Alright!" Naruto grinned, wasting no time as he bounded in excitedly.

Adjusting his wrist strap with a sharp tug, Sasuke followed, though a lot more composed.

Then it was her turn – and staring at the boundary that separated them from the Training Grounds Forty-Four – Sakura took a moment. Exhaled. Clenched her fists.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Sakura?"

When she looked up, Naruto and Sasuke was staring at her from inside, the blond's face expectant while Sasuke raised an eyebrow over his shoulder.

Naruto extended a hand. "Come on, Sakura-chan!"

Swallowing, Sakura gave them a nod, and reaching towards the blond's hand, stepped in, brushing Sasuke's shoulder. The black jade felt warm against her collarbone.

Now, the gauntlets were off.

* * *

A/N:

And here it is! One week later, and Chapter 13 _–_ or to be more precise, Chapter 12.5, haha.

All the support I received last chapter nearly blew me away! I always appreciate feedback, so reading all your comments and long reviews really, _really_ made my day. I hope my writing can improve with everyone's support.

I've also received a review that Team Gai is not Team 9. This is true – I believe Team 9 is the mistaken name that people call Team Gai with, perhaps due to the fact that there is a vacancy of nine between Team 7, 8 and 10. I don't think it has ever been solidly confirmed what numbered team they were in their year. Despite this, there are actually many who call Team Gai as such that if you look up Team 9 – Team Gai pops up. It was something that greatly confused me at the time, too – and while I was writing it must have slipped my mind. My apologies – it must have been quite confusing. However, due to the number of times that I have referred to Team Gai as such, I have decided to continue to, if that is okay.

And no, I haven't forgotten about Kakashi's letter from last chapter! And I hope you guys haven't, either. :)

Please leave a review, and see you all next time!


	14. Second Phase I

Naruto wasn't scared.

 _Sure_ , the Chūnin Exams were full of foreign ninja, and sure, there _had_ been that weird redhead gangster leader with a tattoo across his head, and if he was _really_ honest this forest was kind of creeping him out with all the waving trees and mushy ground – but he wasn't scared.

He had Sakura, who could literally pull out a tree from the ground and use it as a roller to make noodles out of their enemies, and Sasuke, the King of Douche-assery himself, who could squash all their opponents' douche-assery with his characteristic moves of Demeaning Smirk and Vocal Chords of Acid.

He felt ready – ready for this new step into this uncharted territory teeming with foreign shinobi with cool jutsu, and away from babysitting triplets and building farmhouses. A test against his steel – Naruto was prepared. _They_ were prepared. No problem. There was _no_ reason to be scared.

Naruto looked up at the trees – impossibly tall, impossibly dark – nudged at an overgrown root littered with bright mushrooms with his foot and breathed in the musky air. "Seriously," he told Sasuke, "Exciting!"

"Seriously," Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Calm down." Turning, he casually swiped at the air, easily catching the Heaven scroll Sakura tossed at him.

"A good idea," she joined in, sounding vaguely amused. "Calming down, I mean."

Naruto whirled around, a word of protest at ready, set his eyes on Sakura- and _blinked_.

Sakura stood with a hand on her neck, massaging the pale flesh as she scanned their surroundings. In the uneven shadows of the forest, they all looked kind of psychedelic, but he didn't think that was why Sakura's eyes looked oddly dark and mouth awfully flat.

He blinked again.

She was _standing_ differently, he realised. Her shoulders were straighter than ever, which was a weird thought because it wasn't like Sakura was the type to usually slouch or anything. Most of all, Naruto wondered if she had always been that _tall_. Naruto glanced at Sasuke, but he was studiously examining the clasp holding the scroll together as if he hadn't noticed anything contrary.

"I think we should head straight to the tower," Sakura finally offered, lowering her hand. She closed the distance between them, and Naruto startled when he realised she was precisely the height he remembered her to be. And yet she suddenly seemed so _big._ Even her voice sounded a little different. A bit lower. Slightly more commanding.

It was only when Sasuke responded with a cool, "Why?" that the blond snapped out of his thoughts. He shook his head. _Focus, Naruto!_

"That's where all the teams will be heading sooner or later," Sakura elaborated. "And when they do, they'll one," she raised a finger, "have both scrolls, two, be lowering their guard because they're close to passing the exam, and three, be tired." Waving her fingers Sakura grinned, confident and reassuring.

But something about the image of the three of them crouching in the bushes, waiting to pounce on a battered, exhausted team unlucky enough to come by didn't sit well with the blond, and Naruto asked, "Isn't that kinda low, though? I mean, we're basically going after the weak!"

Beside her, Sasuke slowly shook his head. "No, it's practical," he corrected. "This is only the second phase. We should strategise around _passing_ it, not showing off." He shot Naruto a pointed look, mercilessly cutting off his protests. "But we don't know exactly how large this forest is," he continued pensively. "Nor do we know if there are any traps or other obstacles. We might be better off finding vantage points, stable sources of food and water, familiarise ourselves with the structure…"

But Sakura didn't reply, green eyes fixing themselves somewhere far in the foliage, and Sasuke stopped, frowning. "Sakura?"

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto tried when Sasuke's prompt apparently went unheard.

"Hmm?" Gaze sliding back towards them as if she had just remembered they were in the middle of a discussion, Sakura made a non-committal sound before nodding briefly. "Well, we'll just have to make sure we corner someone quickly, then, won't we? Come on." Already half-turning, she shot them a quick smile, not bothering to wait for their reply before leaping up into the trees.

Watching the seams of her red sleeveless shirt flutter in the air, Naruto gave Sasuke a sideways look.

Sasuke only pursed his lips slightly before taking after her.

* * *

As it turned out, they didn't have to wait long for a fight. The moment Naruto fell out of the trees, trying to swerve away from a particularly large tarantula – " _Spider!_ " – and ungracefully dropped down onto the ground, a hand had shot out from the earth, grabbing Naruto's ankle and freaking his lights out. "What the _heeeeck_ -"

"Naruto!"

Sasuke and Sakura were beside him in an instant, and Naruto felt someone pull him back by the collar of his jumpsuit, the shine of a kunai at his periphery – the bastard, probably – but what surprised him was the flash of red before him, Sakura ducking below with incredible speed and _grabbing_ said hand. Staggering, the blond only had time to watch half in disbelief, half in shock as Sakura and the ground-hand and tugged at each other for a brief second before she pulled the limb out like a weed, the body of an enemy-nin following helplessly behind. Naruto caught a glimpse of cropped hair and dark eyes before Sakura's fist slammed into his stomach – racking the body with shudders – and the guy went down before he could even utter a word.

Really, Naruto was glad he was on her team instead of the enemy's.

As Sakura straightened, Naruto cautiously flipped him over by his foot to check his headband. "Ame," he noted. Naruto vaguely remembered Sakura warning him about them – the ability to hide underground, or something like that – but clearly their surprise tactic hadn't quite worked the way they had expected. Scratch that, Sakura's raw _strength_ didn't work the way people expected.

Naruto tried not to flinch when Sakura gave another savage hit to the nin's back to make sure he stayed down. "Ouch."

Beside him, Sasuke gave the trees above a cold look. "Show yourselves," he called. When silence greeted them, he flipped the kunai in his hand, placing the tip directly above the unconscious Ame-nin's bared throat. When the air still remained quiet despite the obvious threat, Sasuke straightened with a quiet sigh, clearly about begin the offensive himself. Naruto also raised his hands, heading forward and about to perform his shadow clone jutsu-

He headed forward, about to perform his shadow clone jutsu, and he headed forward, he headed… Naruto abruptly stopped, blinking. He'd definitely took at least twenty steps by now, and the trees Sasuke had been glaring at were getting _closer_ , but definitely weren't as close as they should have been. Maybe he had misjudged the distance? Rubbing his eyes, he headed forward, about to perform his shadow clone jutsu, and he headed forward some more…

Then something _flickered_ , and Naruto swore he saw Sasuke running in circles out of the corner of his eye. There was another flicker, then Sasuke was back to walking towards the trees beside him. "Okay," Naruto muttered, feeling something like _realisation_ dawn on him. "Something's _definitely_ weir-"

There was the sound of crunching trees, and two shadows leaping out from the shadows-

"Don't let them get to the ground!" Sakura's voice rang out like bells, though she was nowhere in sight.

"That girl!" Sasuke stopped running in circles, voice full of exasperation. "What happened to _strategy_?" Extending a hand, Sasuke snapped his fingers in front of the blond's face. " _Kai_ , dobe!" Since the jutsu had long but dissipated due to whatever Sakura had done, Naruto strongly suspected it was just done to spite him.

"Hey!" He protested, though Sasuke was already conjuring up a massive fireball. "I knew it was a genjutsu! You didn't have to _kai_ me!" With a huff Naruto summoned his clones, sending them after the two shinobi to close them in. With their escape blocked, they were clearly attempting to melt into the earth like their unlucky teammate had.

" _Katon: Gokakyū no Jutsu_!" Sasuke's fireball swerved low across the ground, prompting the Ame-nin to swerve out of the way, performing some impressive mid-air acrobatics that involved using each other as footholds even as the blond's clones clawed at them from below. Naruto thought he would almost be amazed if a tree didn't come promptly crashing into them, splatting them flat into a wall of other trees and to the ground.

" _Good_!" Sakura exclaimed as she landed a few steps away from them, eyes shining and looking pleased as if her dog had accomplished a particularly difficult trick. "That was great! Not even a _chance_ for them to retaliate."

Naruto winced. "I was kind of kidding when I said all that about noodles, Sakura-chan…"

"Really?" Sasuke said, rounding on Sakura. "The best tactic was obviously to wait for them to come down. Pretend to fall under the genjutsu. They weren't all that good at it, anyway." Naruto pretended he hadn't almost fallen under the genjutsu.

"Yeah," Sakura conceded, pulling out a piece of bark from her palm as if she hadn't just hit two shinobi with a tree like a flyswatter. "But they're Ame-nin. I thought this team might have a nasty clone jutsu, too."

"'Too'?"

But she was already wrist-deep in the pockets of the unconscious shinobi she had first knocked out. "Search the bodies, guys! _Scrolls_!" Patting the guy down, Sakura shook her head, "There's nothing good about prolonging a fight, anyway."

"Aren't you feeling unforgiving today," Sasuke commented dryly, grabbing a body buried under the tree and roughly pushing the other towards Naruto. "What if they were stronger?"

The words, Naruto thought, sounded weird coming from Sasuke. "No one's too strong for us," the blond said decisively, digging through his assigned body's pouch. "Did you see how these guys went down?"

Sakura paused. "Nah, Sasuke's right," she said, before starting to rummage through the nin's vest again. "These guys were on the weaker side. But I'm an excellent judge of character. I'll tell you when someone's ridiculously strong." Sakura smiled. "You guys'll run away with me, right?"

Sasuke made a sound that was halfway between disbelief and exasperation. "Don't be stupid."

Which, Naruto thought, probably meant _yes_ in Sasuke-ese. He agreed, but just after that fight, the blond _really_ didn't think an opportunity would come where they would have to desperately run away. That just wasn't Team 7.

"I'm empty," Sakura called, turning expectantly towards them. Sasuke similarly shook his head, turning expectantly towards Naruto.

Naruto found himself inadvertently holding his breath as he searched through the one last remaining pocket, before wrapping his fingers around a familiar-shaped object and emerging victoriously. "I found it! It's…holy crap!" He leapt up. "It's Earth!"

"What?" Sasuke said reflexively, leaning in for a look, while Sakura came sprinting with a loud, "No way!" Grabbing onto his shoulder, her eyes were wide with disbelief. Though they were pleased with the win, Naruto supposed they hadn't expected the day to _actually_ go this well.

"Damn!" The blond howled appreciatively. "Our luck is _insane_!"

"Shut up," Sasuke hissed. "Do you want the whole country to know?"

"Yeah," Sakura's fingers tightened on his flesh to the extent it was slightly painful. "This is good. It's great. Unbelievable. Come on, I'll keep it." Taking it off his hands, she slipped it into her pouch. Her voice was steady, but the excitement was clearly straining against the surface.

Swallowing, Sasuke gave a nod. "Let's keep going, then."

Sakura looked up, giving a wide scan of their surroundings until she froze, her eyes fixing onto something afar. "Mm, no," she said, tipping her head towards the left. "Let's head that way."

"Wait, why?" Naruto asked, though he still loyally leapt up after her, Sasuke closely at his heels.

Sakura's reply was succinct and in Naruto's opinion, sounded way more ominous than it should have for their luck. "Got a bad feeling."

* * *

Sakura's _bad feeling_ , Naruto thought, seemed more like _bad information_ , because she was flying through the trees like Lee was after her or something.

Theoretically, Naruto supposed rushing made sense. Now that they had both scrolls, their first priority was to hightail it out of here without running into anyone else. But occasionally Sakura would even stop, whip her head around as if she was looking for something, tell them to stay put for a few moments, or change directions slightly before continuing.

"Anyone sense anything," she had said, "Tell me immediately, okay?"

Okay, all things considered, Naruto would be lying if he said he wasn't at least _slightly_ nervous. Sakura was always calm – calm at the bell test, calm when they met Zabuza – reassuring and so cool where he and Sasuke flared and lost all sense of direction. She was, in Kakashi's words once, the presence that would hold them back by their collars when he and the bastard were too stupid to realise they were walking off a cliff.

Maybe that was why, Naruto thought, it felt somewhat offbeat to be at the rear this time, watching the white circle on Sakura's back ripple in the wind and unable to help wondering if a kunai came sailing into it he would be able to stop the blade before it pierced her skin. He tried not to think that if he had been the one leading, he would never have worried about something so _petty_ – Sakura and the bastard had his back. End of story.

Naruto spent a moment being angry at himself for even _thinking_ such things – of course he would stop the kunai, no, he _had_ to, no questions asked – before he was broken out of his reverie by Sakura, who had thrust out an arm to stop them and then gone still. He landed by her side, Sasuke at his right – to see her eyes narrowed, focused on something afar into the foliage that he couldn't see. "Sakura-chan?" He whispered.

"Don't move," Sakura replied, her voice just as low.

Beside him, Naruto could sense Sasuke thread his hand inside his pouch. His heart starting to pound for reasons unknown, the blond swallowed, waiting for whatever Sakura had sensed to reveal itself-

When there was a sound of a muffled explosion, dull and thick and raising his neck hairs on edge. Vaguely Naruto noticed that it was _windless_ , the leaves utterly still although the volume of the sound suggested a certain magnitude to it. A glance to his left showed Sasuke's eyes narrowed, Sakura yet impossibly motionless and so Naruto continued wait – this time hearing a soft sort of sound, like what waves might sound like from a far distance, like what an hourglass full of falling sand might sound like if one put their ear close to it-

Naruto instinctively drew in a sharp breath at the smell of blood that started to ooze through the area, subtle at first, undeniably familiar – and Naruto could see Sasuke's face change as he took in the familiar scent. Then wind blew, and the blond's breaths stuttered at the sudden onslaught of sand, like what it might feel like if wind blew _up_ at a beach, scattered across the air that he could feel it on his skin, against his throat, and he began to _cough_ \- Immediately Naruto heard Sasuke's own breathing stop, a hand rising roughly towards the blond's face as if to stop the wheezing that kept escaping from his mouth. But it was too late, and as if reacting to the sound, the sand receded, and Naruto gaped as the brown particles came together – writhing and twisting like a disappearing wisp of smoke. "S-Sakura-chan…"

"Naruto, Sasuke." Sakura's eyes were unnaturally bright, wide and ominous and fastened on the tendrils of sand slowly turning in the air. The way she shaped their names was lathered thick with tension. "This is it," she said. "I'm telling you." Naruto only had a second to look to Sasuke in confusion and see a stricken sort of understanding dawn in his eyes before he felt Sakura's arm snake around his stomach. " _Run_."

They leapt, and the thread of sand multiplied into a wave before crashing into the branch they were on a moment ago.

* * *

"Lee," Tenten hissed, lightly nudging his side. "Let's just go. We have our scrolls." When he didn't budge, she leaned in closer, face scrunched with restrained frustration. "Lee!"

"What's going on?" Neji had moved from the branch behind them onto theirs, so silent that she wouldn't even have known it if she hadn't been looking imploringly at the brown-haired boy for the past few seconds. Taking in Lee's round eyes fixed solidly on the shinobi passing below, Neji crossed his arms. "We leave them alone," he said quietly. "There's no need to bother with them."

"It _is_ them, Tenten," Lee said, voice halfway between disbelief and wariness. "I am sure of it."

Neji gave her a look.

"Something Lee saw, apparently," she said, answering Neji's unspoken question with a sigh. "Like a vision. Or a dream, most likely-"

"That girl," Lee continued, pointing at a Oto-nin with long black hair following her team from the back. "Was holding Sakura-san's _hair_."

"I thought you said you saw _Naruto._ " Tenten frowned. "What's this about _Sakura_?"

"I told you I saw _two_ flashes, Tenten! I've been trying to remember the other one this whole time, and when I saw them, it just _clicked_ -"

"Lee," Neji cut in, clearly unconvinced. "Get a hold of yourself."

But Lee was already too far gone. "And she had to cut it off until it only reached her neck," he rattled, "and Sakura-san was so _injured_ , then I _-_ " With a gasp, Lee's expression stiffened, and he leapt down.

"What- but Sakura's hair _already_ reaches her neck. Wait, _Lee_!" His green spandex barely brushed her outstretched fingers as he jumped, face blotchy with worry and anger from whatever he had remembered from his so-called _vision._ His ramblings about _Naruto_ following their spar with Team 7 had been unbelievable enough, and now he was doing _this_! Cursing, Tenten took after him, Neji already landing behind Lee, though the line of his mouth made it clear his patience running on _very_ thin ice.

"Stop!" Lee exclaimed at the Oto-nin when Tenten settled beside him, hand already wrapped around her weapons scroll. She ran her eyes over them warily – due to some good luck and fine acting skills from the three of them, they had managed to catch a moderately mediocre team off-guard and take their Heaven scroll to match their Earth relatively early into the exams. She had no desire to go ruining a series of events that was clearly a blessing from the Gods – and yet here Lee was, challenging a trio of ninja they had _zero_ idea about because of some _dream_.

If they lost, Tenten thought, she was going to _kill_ Lee.

The team from Sound regarded them for a few moments – before the one on the left, a guy with spiky hair spoke up. "What's this?"

"Konoha-nin," the shinobi beside Spikes noted before any of them could reply. Despite the rows of bandages wrapped around his face, the sheen of interest that his single revealed eye had suddenly gained was painfully clear, and Tenten's fingers tightened around the clasp of her scroll, ready to unravel it at a moment's notice.

"We have something to ask you," Lee said, posture alert but neither very offensive or defensive. She didn't think Lee had particular intention to fight them – the moment it became clear that his 'vision' was a meaningless daydream, or a possible aftershock from Sakura's punch, he would probably offer to retreat. But that was only because they already had the scrolls they needed – the probability that the Oto-nin would let them go was low.

Which, Tenten found, was all useless musing, anyway, because the probability that _Lee_ would let them go instantly became zero once Spikes replied, "That's funny. We have a question, too. Are any of you Uchiha Sasuke?"

* * *

In idle moments between her training, or watching Naruto and Sasuke bicker about whether they got to go to Ichiraku's for ramen for lunch again, Sakura liked to daydream about shortcuts that could save the future. Naruto meeting Gaara, for example, at a dango shop on a sunny afternoon and bonding over a stick of sweets – ending with the red-haired Kazekage-to-be succumbing to the blond's irresistible charms and deciding to call off his part in the invasion altogether.

Of course, Sakura knew that for Naruto to gain Gaara's heartfelt appreciation and admiration the Shukaku would have to be unleashed, and setting free the one-tailed beast wasn't something that could go around happening just about anywhere. Still, the thought had both entertained and kept her hopeful for the future where the green-eyed boy was a real and trustworthy presence at their backs again.

The break to reality, she found, was inordinately depressing.

"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted as the sand spread like a web, reviving from its failed initial attack and rushing forward again. They had leapt away to different branches, Sasuke to the left, Sakura and Naruto to the right, and she met his alarmed dark eyes before swerving away from another golden streak of sand.

"Don't get caught by the sand!" Sakura yelled back, loosening her grip on Naruto as a tendril shot between them, prompting the blond to jump up. She had grabbed onto Naruto out of pure instinct – but it seemed as if she didn't have to worry, his attention clearly devoted to avoiding the sand rather than to attempt attacking it as she had feared.

There was a certain advantage to them provided by the terrain – the area was dense with trees without any clearing, which provided plenty of footholds for them to use, but the fact was that while _they_ tired, while sand didn't. She clenched her teeth, ducking below a leg of sand and swinging from a branch with her hands. The sand was just blindly plunging forward – so she was right; Gaara might have sensed them, but they were out of his sight.

The redheaded jinchūriki had been the one aspect she had been forced to take a risk with. Sakura had intentionally hung back in the morning at the entrance of Training Grounds Forty-Four where all participating teams had gathered to receive their assigned gates, excusing herself from Naruto and Sasuke under the guise of going to the bathroom to discreetly observe which direction certain teams headed in. With Gate One and Gate Twenty-Two placed at the direct north and south of the training grounds, and twenty-one gates laid each to the east, and the west, once one knew which gate a team started at, their path to the tower, and the general area they would travel in became easy enough to predict.

She had seen the Oto-nin from her past – she still remembered the sensation of hacking through her hair – head east, and the retreating backs of a team from Grass head in a similar direction. Sakura hadn't been sure it was Orochimaru, but there _had_ been long-haired a female in the team, and there weren't many shinobi from Grass in the first place, anyway, so that had made up her decision for her. Team 7, whose gate was placed relatively near the southern point, would head diagonally west, creating as much distance as they could from the eastern teams as they headed for the tower.

 _Just my luck_ , Sakura thought savagely, _that I'd run into the_ one _team I didn't want to on the western side._

With that sentiment she dropped to the ground, foot extended and solidly connecting with the soil – sending the ground rumbling and cracks shooting forward. As she had expected, the sand stopped in tandem with the rising pieces of the earth – at this distance, Gaara was probably just throwing it in their general direction – and she ducked behind a particularly large slice, feeling a relieved sort of satisfaction course through her when Naruto and Sasuke were immediately beside her.

"What's going on?" Naruto frantically asked, peeking around the earth.

"It's Gaara," she replied, reaching into her pouch and grabbing a handful of kunai.

"Gaara?" Sasuke looked up from dusting the sand off of his shirt. Then, recognition flitting through his eyes, "That Suna-nin."

"Yes." Sakura threaded the weapons through her fingers. "And not someone we want to fight right now." She gave Naruto and Sasuke each long, hard looks. "If they're strong, they'll pass with or without meeting us. We'll have plenty of chances to fight them next time." Knowing that the light in Sasuke's eyes had changed upon mention of the redhead's name, Sakura reached out, placing her other hand on the dark-haired boy's shoulder. "Please."

Sasuke looked up at her, conflict coursing through his expression.

And there was that sound again, sand dragging against the earth – and Sakura leapt again, hurling the weapons into the distance, the kibakufuda wrapped around their handle sparking as they soared through the air.

Grabbing her wrist and pulling her away from a coiling strand of sand midair, Naruto kicked at it, sending the particles flying. "Wasn't gonna complain!" He yelled. "We'll run!"

With that, a series of explosions behind them, Team 7 turned tail and ran, straight back the way they'd come, until Sasuke motioned them to turn right, a stretch of sand sightlessly lunging forward beside them. Sakura cursed their luck – she had sensed Gaara far enough from him. If it hadn't been for the wind blowing it in their faces-

Gritting her teeth, she upped her speed – until she heard Sasuke hiss a pained breath, and she saw a stream of blood flowing from his leg, a clear trace of a shuriken whizzing through his flesh. Sakura began to reach out, when she felt the air _shift_ , and she yelled, " _Down_!" Sliding close to the ground she grabbed Sasuke as he dropped down from the trees by his arm, who caught Naruto by his collar, and her fingers digging into the bark, swung them around the trunk of a tree – narrowly missing the blades of wind that slashed through the forest, cutting through branches and leafs that scattered down onto the ground.

 _Temari_ , Sakura thought darkly, before making to stand again. _The scroll the Sand Siblings got from the team they killed just before they heard us must have been the same as what they already had_. _Or they wouldn't bother coming this far after us._ Resisting the urge to swear, Sakura extended a hand towards the boys, who were sprawled on the ground. "Sasuke," she said, looking behind her and trying to estimate the distance left between them. "Your leg."

He brushed it away. "I'm fine."

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek. Gaara, with his sand, Temari, with her wind, and Kankurō with his puppets, were all long-range fighters, which meant this _escaping_ game weren't in their favour. It was only delaying the inevitable. Meanwhile, Team 7 were generally better suited for close-range – and there was a good chance that they might run into _another_ team if they kept running.

"Sakura-chan." When she turned around, Naruto's eyes were bright, his fists clenched by his sides. "I think we should fight. We can't keep running away like this." At her expression, he grinned lightly. "How strong can they be, anyway?"

"The Dobe's right," Sasuke added. "This is a losing game."

Sakura stared at them, torn and conflicted and time on her heels. _How strong can they be?_ This Gaara wasn't the kind and reserved Kazekage Sakura knew – once his bloodthirst came into play, the battle would have to go to its bitter end. If it was any other team – strategically speaking she would have fought them. No, if it was any other team, she wouldn't have run away. If it was any other team-

Sakura took a breath. Pressed her palms to her eyes before raising her head with an exhale. Gaara had almost injured Lee beyond repair, had fought head-to-head with Sasuke with Chidori. Had a high chance of transforming into the One-Tail if cornered. What was the chance to Team 7 would come out in one piece in this fight? What was the chance they would win? What was the chance they wouldn't unleash Shukaku _now_?

"Sakura." There was a hand on her shoulder, and Sakura startled, her eyes following the arm up to meet black eyes, firm and dark and the Sasuke she remembered and loved except _gentler_. "You've bought us this much distance. Trust me."

And she remembered Sai, unsteady smiles and rolling the black leather string of his charm between his fingers. _Come back alive_.

"Okay," she said, hand similarly rising to her pendant. "But there's no choice. If we fight, we fight to _win_."

* * *

"This is from Kakashi?" Anko demanded, waving the piece of paper in her hand. "You're sure?"

The chūnin before her nodded curtly, hand clasped behind his back and alert. "To be precise, it was from his genin, ma'am!"

"And you're _sure_ it was his genin?"

"Certain, ma'am! Haruno Sakura of Team 7, ma'am. She went through into the Forest of Death with her team right after delivering the message."

Thumbing the paper, Anko scowled. "That guy…" Brows creasing with clear frustration, she pursed her lips. "Where's Kakashi now?"

"Unknown, ma'am! Would you like me to search for him?"

She gave a long look at the note, then at the forest, just beyond the fence she was leaning on. "No," she said, "Instead, get me a list of all participating genin from Grass, their starting gates, and their most recent location if any supervisors have seen them." When the chūnin hesitated, evidently confused, Anko barked, " _Now_!"

* * *

Naruto wondered if Sakura knew this _Gaara_ guy, and if so, when she had the time to get so acquainted with the supposed _son_ of the _Kazekage_ , because she was rattling off his and his team's skills like she had stalked them before or something. Gaara, sand, Kankurō, puppets, and Temari, wind. _Got it._

He wasn't too happy with the plan – mainly because he had to go after the puppet-guy. Besides the fact he looked like a huge douche, since Sasuke was going after the blonde girl due to something Sakura called 'elemental advantage' between Fire and Wind, that match-up left her with Gaara, and he didn't like the look in the redhead's eyes _at all_.

"You're sure?" Naruto had said for the millionth time, while Sasuke generally sulked, seemingly just as displeased as him, if not more.

" _Yes_ ," Sakura had said. "It's the match-up that'll bring the most out of your strengths. Defeat them quickly, and come help me, okay? I'll be counting on it."

Naruto was half-sure that the last part was only said to get them off her case because she had smiled in that little way she did when she was trying to get him and Sasuke to do something she _knew_ they didn't like doing, but months of having her on his team had made it clear that what Sakura said, usually went. He had glanced at Sasuke, a silent understanding passing between them; as soon as Sakura even _looked_ like she was losing, they were jumping in.

Team 7 stopped at a well-placed clearing – they had gotten further from the tower due to all their running, but Naruto estimated they were still situated quite west – and they faced the Suna-nin as they emerged from the trees out onto the wider area. The blonde girl – Temari – jerked her chin at them. "Finally stopped running, did you?"

"Persistent, aren't you?" Sakura returned just as sassily. She was warily eyeing Gaara, who had his arms crossed, head tilted slightly. His gaze swept over the three of them, pausing for each second at his blond hair, Sasuke's dark expression, and Sakura's pink hair before his eyes narrowed in recognition.

"I remember you," Temari said, raising an eyebrow. "You're the Leaf-nin from before."

"You were acting all tough back then," Kankurō chuckled, thumbing at the paint on his cheeks. "And yet here you are, running away like _rats_." Naruto felt a flash of indignation. _Says the guy that squawked like a chicken as soon as Gaara even_ blinked _at him!_

"We've no desire to waste our time with the likes of you," Sasuke shot back. He twirled his kunai once, twice, three times between his fingers between grasping the handle of it again.

"I hope you have the scroll we need," Kankurō continued, completely ignoring Sasuke. He bared his teeth. "We've been unlucky _twice_ already."

"Enough talk," Gaara hissed, and despite himself Kankurō flinched, Temari's mouth reflexively closing shut on his other side. He fixed Sasuke with a long look, whose eyes had flickered red to run over Gaara's sand gourd before returning to the familiar black. "I don't like having to _chase_."

"We're about to see who's really the prey," Naruto called out. He shook his head, trying to shake away the grains of sand he could still feel stuck in his hair. "We'll make you eat your own sand!"

And with that Gaara's sand shot forward, and Naruto had to gasp at the speed because clearly his control when he could _see_ them and when he couldn't differed by miles – and he leapt up, summoning a shadow clone and using to pull his real body out of the way of another tendril shooting forwards-

The truth was, he still felt guilty for coughing back then and getting all of them found out – Sasuke and Sakura had stayed silent, so why couldn't _he_ manage the same? Why did he have to go and stupidly hack his lungs out?

Ducking under a wave of sand and turning on his feet, Naruto changed directions, heading straight to Kankurō, a horde of his clones behind him at his command.

 _Kankurō's main weapon is his puppet. That means you need to fight close-range. Destroy the puppet if you can, but focus on getting close to him. Your clones should make it easier._

He had to make it up to them. He _had_ to.

* * *

Somewhere off to her left, Sakura could feel the searing heat of fire, and somewhere to her right, the overlapped voices of multiple Narutos shouting at the same time. She was worried, Temari and Kankurō weren't as strong as Gaara by any means, but they were no pushovers – but shook her head and reared her fist back. She didn't have time to worry about her teammates now, and after everything at Waves and all their struggles, she _had_ to at least trust them that much – and she swung it into the air, the aftershock her punch sending the wind rushing forward and whisking Gaara's sand aside. Through the brown particles scattered in the air Sakura met his eyes – green against green – before she darted forward again.

Whether she thought she could beat Gaara or not wasn't the point – the issue was that she was the _safest_ individual to go after him. She was the only one with enough strength to break through Gaara's sand in this point of time where Naruto and Sasuke didn't have the Rasengan or the Chidori – and she was the only one who could continuously heal without taking fatal damage while trying to get near the redhead.

Not to mention she was also _fast._ She doubted she was much faster than Lee with his weights off, but Sakura hadn't been training her body all this time for nothing, and she would be damned if her instincts weren't better than a young, psychopathic boy of twelve. The image of Orochimaru flashed through her mind – but she pushed it back. Gaara wasn't an opponent she could undermine by _holding back_ right now.

Whipping out her shurikens she hurled them – feeling thankful she had bothered to wrap kibakufudas over each one before the exam – watching as Gaara's sand reflexively rose up to shield himself from the small blasts. Gaara wasn't much for _moving_ during fighting – using his sand as both a means of offensive and defensive, and Sakura used the slips of time where he was too busy defending to dart closer and closer and closer to him-

Until she was _too_ close, and she saw Gaara's eyes widen, instantly swamping a sparking shuriken that whizzed by with a leg of sand while shooting another after her. Sakura felt the coil of sand wrap around her shoulder before she switched with a _kawarimi_ , instead coming at him from above and shoving a kunai downwards onto his head. As expected, his sand rose up, and the tip of the blade dug into it futilely, confirming her belief that as long as she didn't chakra-enhance her strength, breaking through his defences would be impossible. Sakura let a tendril touch her ankle before substituting again.

Next Sakura sent a kunai-clad in kibakufuda to his left – before somersaulting in the air to his right with her leg coming down. Gaara's attention divided – clearly he was taken aback by Sakura's speed, and she saw his mouth purse, his sand gaining another level of strength. She swapped herself with a log before his shield shot up in spikes, splintering through the bark and ripping it into pieces. She repeated it again, and again, pushing herself to gain speed, more, more, _more_ \- Stretch her tendons, rip her ligaments, she could heal them later, she didn't care, she needed _speed_ \- From her periphery, she heard something like Temari crying out, a tree falling-

And this time when Sakura pounced, she saw Gaara's eyes almost hurriedly flicker _away_ from where she was heading at him from – clearly expecting another _kawarimi_ , another surprise attack from a different direction, another kibakufuda – and she reared her fist back. Clenched her teeth _hard_ , ready, prepared, watching as Gaara's spikes rose, up and up and tore through her shoulder, another skewer through her thigh with a sickening noise of squelching flesh, and Sakura bit her lip to keep the pain from spilling out before _slamming_ her fist against his sand shield with all the strength she could muster.

Her blood spurted, at the same time his sand gave way, crumbling into countless pieces – and through the red droplets and dark particles in the air Sakura saw Gaara's eye slide towards her, wide and terrible and surprised and _murderous_ all at the same time _-_ And through the hazy pain that burned through her limbs Sakura pushed through with a yell, knowing another layer of sand lay covering his body – raising her good leg and ploughing it down onto Gaara's shoulder. Despite all his arsenal of sand and terrible aura he folded like a paper doll, the earth cracking and shuddering below them and Sakura was never more grateful for her superhuman strength – her lack of a Rasengan or a Chidori made up for it when she could feel flesh and bones _collapsing_ under her fingers-

" _Gaara_!" She heard a male voice shout, before being cut off with a pained yelp, but Sakura didn't look, refused to be distracted as she brought up her uninjured hand, fingers wrapped around a _syringe_ she had already prepared and bringing it down like lightning towards Gaara's neck. She had just pushed the needle halfway through, yellow liquid inside starting to ooze into his blood when his sand rose with a vengeance, his green eyes glaring at her savagely even as he lay debilitated on the ground- and _was that excitement she saw in his eyes?_

Sakura only had the briefest of moments to shove the syringe in the entire way and watch the concoction wholly disappear before his sand caught up to her leg, another tendril crawling onto her shoulder, sticking itself to her injuries, digging deeper, and Sakura choked in pain, desperately kicking the sand away and her eyes latching onto Gaara's mouth widening in a smirk-

" _Sakura_!"

A frantic scream, and there was a clammy hand wildly grabbing at her other arm before starting to pull her away. But Sakura couldn't look away from Gaara's lips and remember anything but a gentle smile, eyes warm and sand for protecting not simply himself, but _thousands_ of people _-_

She only broke out of her memories when Gaara spoke, pain exploding in her shoulder and vaguely feeling something damp on her face even as she sensed her healing chakra reflexively soar.

" _Sabaku Sōsō_."

* * *

Sasuke rarely shouted, but when he did, it always seemed to be Sakura's name, panicked and harsh and so terribly unlike Sasuke it brought every single hair on Naruto's body on edge. Out of the corner of his eyes Naruto saw Sasuke leaping with Sakura in his arms, expression both feral and desperate with his shirt full of rips and bloody scratches from his battle with the Sand kunoichi. Sakura had her eyes closed, and as Sasuke landed on the ground not too far away from them Naruto saw his pale fingers furiously working at something, something red and sticky and thick and grainy and pushing it off Sakura's shoulder and as far away from her body-

To his left, Gaara lay on the earth, sand swirling around him and Temari, arms covered in burns and fan nowhere to be seen, kneeling over him with wide teal eyes and an empty syringe in her hands. Naruto turned back to Sakura, cold realisation seeping in and his gaze catching on all the blood, and-

" _Sakura-chan_!" Naruto heard himself scream, feet instinctively darting towards them.

Sasuke looked up, black eyes locking onto his and probably seeing the identical looks of terror and fury reflected in each other's faces until Sasuke angrily gestured at him, and Naruto whirled, ducking under Kankurō's kunai. The Suna-nin had been evidently thrown off when Sakura's kick had sent the ground rumbling and Gaara to the ground, but clearly he had recovered after seeing Sasuke flying away with an unconscious Sakura.

Feeling heat wildly course through his veins, Naruto didn't even have to look as he smashed his elbow into his puppet approaching from his back before kicking its master in the stomach. It had been easy enough to dominate Kankurō's puppets with his endless supply of clones, and once the blond got close enough he found out that the Suna-nin quite sucked at taijutsu – if only his puppets hadn't been so damned complicated, coming apart then reattaching back together while spitting new blades at him every second, he would have been able to go help Sakura, and avoid this _mess_ from happ-

Naruto whipped his head around again, unable to help himself. Sasuke, after apparently getting all the sand away from Sakura to his satisfaction, was staring at her shoulder – placed out of his view by a ill-placed bush – with something like helplessness and outrage, lip turned having white from his teeth biting down onto it too hard. They met eyes again, and Naruto nearly had his ear cut clean off from one of the puppet's rotating blades, and he saw Sasuke's expression harden, obviously seeing that the battle was far from being over – and making a move to stand-

Until he promptly crumpled to the ground, his palm hitting the ground flat and dark eyes looking up in confusion. Sasuke pulled his legs up, trying to put his weight onto them, and failing again – and Naruto saw it, a cut by his left calf bleeding blue and black, the area around it like a bruise. This time, the alarm that flashed through Sasuke's eyes had nothing to do with worry, but held a shadow of fear, and suddenly Kankurō laughed, loud and throaty and sending Naruto's head _spinning_.

" _Finally_ worked, did it?" Kankurō guffawed. "Did you think my weapons were _normal_? My shurikens are coated with _poison._ Oh, to see the look on your fac-"

Naruto's fist crashed into Kankurō's face, feeling a satisfactory _crunch_ on his fingers before he went down, chakra strings pulling his puppet with it. The wind was still hurtling through the air; Gaara's sand was brewing up a _storm_ only a few steps away, Sasuke was down with some unnamed poison, Temari had stood up, fan somehow back in her hands, Sakura was injured and needed _protecting_ and Kankurō's laughter was still echoing through the forest and Naruto couldn't look away from where Gaara was, his sandstorm growing larger and larger and larger-

His head spun. What to do? It was his fault that they were involved in this mess in the first place. _What to do?_ Was Sasuke's injury lethal? How were they going to find the antidote? What about Sakura's injury? Could they run? Could he carry both of them? Would Temari chase them? What was Gaara doing? Preparing for a final attack? Recovering? Naruto blinked, seeing something like a large _arm_ protruding from his sand cocoon-

Sasuke's shout sounded far away as Naruto clenched his eyes shut. _Please._ He needed power. He needed a solution. He had to save Sasuke and Sakura. _Please._

Sasuke kept yelling. It vaguely sounded like his name, and a furious _no_ , but he couldn't focus anymore.

* * *

When Sakura opened her eyes, she was in a damp place, echoing with the sound of dripping water and low, rumbling breaths. She squinted, trying to adjust to the dim light – before realising that she felt no pain, could move her arms and legs freely – then remembering Gaara's smile, and his sand, and-

Sakura sat up, exhaling harshly and hand reflexively rising up to her shoulder. Startling to find it whole and smooth, she hurriedly scrambled to her feet, whipping her head around and feeling something cold settle in her chest when all she could see was green-grey blocks of concrete piled up on each other, the air stale. _Where is this?_

She clearly wasn't… _dead_ , and yet- Was it a genjutsu? But casted by _whom_? Sakura attempted a _kai_ , feeling both unsurprised and disappointment when her surroundings remained unchanged. Fumbling with her arms outstretched, she staggered forward into the darkness. Where was Naruto and Sasuke? The last she remembered was-

Sakura slid a hand down her arm, remembering the feel of Sasuke's fingers wrapping around her shoulders and soundless pain before darkness overtook her. Were they okay? She hadn't been able to pay attention to how Naruto and Sasuke's fights had been going – _trusting_ them to do their role – and yet she had been the pathetic one, needing someone to come to her rescue again. Sakura bit her lip. Was Naruto okay? Were they somehow trapped in this place, too? What about Gaara? Her concoction? She swallowed. She had to get back, and-

Urgency flooding through her, Sakura called, half in desperation, half in caution – "Is anyone there?"

There was a gust of air, blowing her bangs behind and Sakura instinctively raised an arm, her eyes narrowed at first, then slowly widening as she took in the red pillars, each at least three times thicker than herself and a hundred times taller – stretching up into the darkness and to the side, perhaps like a gate, perhaps a cage. Cautiously, she neared it, her suspicions of it being a _cage_ solidifying into a certainty as she took in the middle bar, at least twice as wide as others and with a large paper seal stuck onto it. It was too high for her to read the kanji, and Sakura lifted herself on her toes, craning her neck-

Sakura froze, the ruby bead-eyes that had silently and suddenly appeared on its other side rooting her to her position and taking the breath out of her lungs. _No way._ That meant- That meant this was- _Impossible._

The word escaped her mouth in a quiet, disbelieving exhale.

"Kyūbi."

* * *

A/N:

Honestly speaking, this chapter sort of had my chest all bunched up half in excitement and half in frustration as I wrote it. Excitement because I was finally getting into all the things I had planned out (yay!) – and frustration because I was unsatisfied by everything I wrote and had to re-write it again and again and again.

I hope _reading_ it has been a more pleasant experience, instead of feeling like me, haha.

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's reviews. Your thoughts and comments do wonders for my motivation. I've also been receiving some PMs, and your speculations and feedback make me think of the story in ways I never have before. Especially since the story is beginning to slowly move, I hope I can interact with more readers this way.

So leave a review below, and see you all next time! (Hopefully it's soon!)


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